The Truth Hurts Most
by Jedssisme1
Summary: When Harry's younger sister is sent to Hogwarts a year early, for her own safety, she begins to uncover secrets that she wishes had remained buried. Follow Elena through a whirlwind of secrets, betrayals, love, lust, and prophecies as she goes through her own years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. (Rating will rise later due to violence and language.)
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N) Hello, my name is Jessie. I started this fanfiction as a freshman in high school when I was totally in love with Draco Malfoy. I am still in love with him, but I am now a freshman in college. I have considered deleting this fanfiction several times, but as it has been a part of my life for four years, and I used to have (and hopefully still do) some very loyal readers. So I'm going through once again to edit with my now advanced writing skills, to change the entire name of my OC so that she's no longer named after me, and I'm going to make her an individual, not an inserted fourteen year old me, such as she was when I started this fic. I also plan on fixing quite a few continuity errors. If you're new to this fanfiction, you are very lucky. Thank everyone who reads you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoy!**

**Love,**

**Jessie**

**Prologue**

The girl sat in an old leather chair, hunched over, reading from the ragged, grayish, dusty black book that was resting in her lap. Her eyes were swiveling from side to side as she quickly scanned the pages for something that might give her a clue. Spying something, she stopped flipping rapidly through the worn pages and focused her eyes on one page.

"No... No it can't be true..." The girl said, shaking her head.

"Hurry up!" A voice said from the other side of the room. "Someone's coming!"

The girl looked up quickly as she heard footsteps outside the office door. Slamming the book back down on the desk, she quickly slid it back into the exact position she'd found it, then picked up her wand and dove under the invisibility cloak that was being held by her best friend in a shadowy corner. They stood as still as they possibly could as they watched the door to the office open silently. With a swirl of dirt and grime, Professor Snape strode into his office, his cape billowing out behind him and his black eyes seemingly glowing with anger. He walked past them, unaware that he was being watched. In four long strides he was standing at his desk, glaring down at the seat the girl had recently vacated. He reached out a hand and placed it on the worn seat, as if feeling for some sign that someone had been there.

Snape spun around quickly, startling the two students hiding under the cloak so much that they both took a step back. His fiery gaze burned around the room, trying to locate something he couldn't see. He squinted, and then looked down once again at the chair. Under the cloak, the girl slowly reached behind her, groping blindly until she found her friends hand, and she grasped it tightly. They watched as Snape leaned over his desk and took hold of the old, leather bound journal, his pale fingers spidering across the cover before he closed it gently. He closed the clasp, which resembled a writhing black snake with two emerald eyes. The eyes seemed to peer out at the two friends between Snape's bony grip. Snape looked around secretively once more, then stashed the journal deep in the shadows of his black robe.

He turned around once more and whisked out of his office, passing the two friends by mere inches as he slammed his office door closed. The girl slowly slid the invisibility cloak off of her head and turned to her friend, her eyes glistening with tears.

"What? Is it... Is it true?" Her friend asked quietly, worry and concern evident in her eyes.

The girl nodded, and suddenly her eyes turned fearfully determined.

"You mustn't tell Harry!" She said, taking her friend by the shoulder. "Ever! Please, if you love me you won't tell him! Not yet."

Her friend, her face etched with sorrow and pity, nodded.

"Don't worry, Elena. I swear. I won't tell him anything."

-**First Year-**

**Chapter One**

The little house on the island was not really a house at all. It was more of a two story shack, and it was located on one of the, until recently, last uninhabited places in Britain. The angry wind was pounding on every available piece of surface space of the shack, causing it to shake violently. The wind also slithered under the crack in the door, making the stone floor cold as ice.

On that same floor, A pair of children, and young boy and girl, sat huddled together with an old blanket, riddled with moth holes, around their shoulders. The girl was watching the boy, mesmerized, as he used his finger to draw an image of a birthday cake in the dirt and grime on the hard floor.

"Wait, Harry, you have to draw candles so you can blow them out!" She protested, and with an unsteady hand, she drew eleven candles above the cake figure.

"Thanks, Elena, now it's perfect." Harry gave the girl a little side hug.

The anxious children peered at a cheap plastic watch that was fastened around Harry's skinny wrist. While watching the seconds tick by, Elena thought about her conversation with her Aunt Petunia earlier that day

"Umm, Aunt Petunia... Will you tell me again why we're here?" She had asked innocently while drying the dishes Harry was handing her

"Those damn letters will never find us here." Her aunt had replied harshly, turning her attention away from the small T.V. set and glowering at Elena.

"Why did those letters come anyway?" She had pestered.

"They came from a stupid school that wanted to take Harry away. You wouldn't want Harry to go away and leave you here by yourself, would you?" Petunia smirked.

"No! I don't want him to leave me!" Elena's face had flushed with fear.

"Then go away and stop bothering me."

Elena was yanked back to the present when she heard Harry take a deep intake of breath. She watched excitedly with wide eyes as Harry closed his own and released his breath in one long gust, scattering the dirt that formed the candles, and scattering much of the dirt that formed the cake as well.

Elena was about to clap her hands when a large cracking sound made her and Harry jump up in surprise. Elena looked in the direction of the door and gasped when she saw that a huge crack in the wood had split it nearly in two. Another crack and the door split the rest of the way in half and fell to the floor, causing a large plume of dust to fly up into the air and swirl around. The wind, encouraged by gaining access to the interior, was taking up grime from every corner of the shack and flinging it around in ecstasy. Elena ran behind Harry, covering her head and closing her eyes like they were told to do if there was an earthquake in school. Harry stood there, immobilized, as the wind grew tired and left, letting the dust settle. Elena peeked out from over Harry's shoulder and cried out for there, standing in the doorway, was the silhouette of the largest man Elena had ever seen in her life.

"Sorry 'bout that." The man said, gesturing to the door.

The man walked into the house and looked about. Glancing down, he saw Elena cowering behind Harry.

"Well if it isn't the little Potters'! Why, I ain't seen you since you were wee babies!" The big man said. He crouched down in a vain attempt to get his face on the same level as the children. "Ohh, my back ain't the same as the las' time I saw yeh either."

"Who are you?" Harry was still looking up at the mans face.

"Hagrid's the name. Rubeus Hagrid." Hagrid smiled warmly, causing him to look like a grinning lion.

Hagrid waddled awkwardly towards Harry, and handed him a letter. Harry took, it, tore it open, and read the words silently.

"What's it say, Harry? What's it say?" Elena stood on her tiptoes and attempted to read the note over his shoulder.

"Calm down, El, I'll read it to you. It says:

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

** Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore**

** (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,**

** Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

** Dear Mr. Potter,**

** We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

** Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**

** Yours sincerely,**

** Minerva McGonagall**

** Deputy Headmistress.**"

"Hogwarts?"Elena tried the words out in her mouth. "So.. Like magic?"

"I don't know, Elena." Harry looked down at her. Then he looked back up at the giant, confused. "But magic doesn't exist."

"Sure it does!" Hagrid laughed. "And you, Harry, are a wizard."

The sound of a commotion was heard from up the stairs, and down tumbled Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, as well as Harry and Elena's cousin, Dudley.

"Fine, take him! take them both, we don't want them anymore!" Uncle Vernon gesured angrily with a large, two barreled shotgun.

"I'll just be taking Harry for now, I'll be back for the little one in a year." Hagrid gripped Harry's shoulder and began ushering him towards the door.

"She might not be here in a year, you big ugly man!" Uncle Vernon yelled at the trio on the floor.

"Yeah, she might be in any orphanage around London. She might be dead. Who knows?" Aunt Petunia tossed her head to the side and smirked.

Dudley snickered, and gave Elena a forceful shove towards Hagrid.

"Death threats, is it now? Why, I aught to give you a big, bloody curse-" Hagrid started to reply, but looked down when he felt Elena tugging on his jacket.

"Oh, can I go? Please? I wanna go with Harry and be a wizard too!" Elena begged.

"I suppose I'll talk to Dumbledore about it." Hagrid sighed and hoisted the girl onto his back. With one final glare at the Dursleys, he turned and ushered Harry the rest of the way out of the broken door.

**(A/N) Alright, so I edited this chapter, but there's not much content here. I'm going to edit all the chapters that I have uploaded, and then I will re-upload them all at the same time. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

** A/N this is another of the chapters I edited. I won't be editing them all, but most definitely these early ones. Enjoy!**

** Chapter 2**

Elena slowly opened her eyes, blinking against the harsh sunlight coming through a window on her right. Startled, she sat up. Where was she? She looked anxiously around. She saw two sitting figures on the seat across from her. Then she remembered. She was on a train that was taking her and Harry to Hogwarts. The people sitting across from her were named Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. She had been sitting by the window in her and Harry's little compartment when they walked in and introduced themselves. She had fallen asleep shortly after. Suddenly everything from earlier that week came rushing back to her. A big man had come and taken Harry and her away from their house and had pulled out a long,pink floral umbrella. He swished it around, and suddenly they were standing on a street called Diagon Alley. It was packed with people pushing and shoving, going into stores on either side of her.

"See right there, Harry?" The man named Hagrid had said. "That's the bank. We'll be going there now to get you money from you and yer' sister's account. Your mum an'dad left gold for yeh." Hagrid smiled nicely as he put a hand on their shoulders and steered them towards the bank.

After an exciting little trip in a cart driven by a goblin, they piled out and were introduced to a giant metal door. The goblin put his hand on it, and the door swung open, revealing a flood of gold coins. After retrieving enough coins for both Harry and Elena, Hagrid closed the door behind them, and shortly they were all, minus the little goblin, back out in the bright sunlight.

Finding a nearly empty alley, they stepped in it to get out of the way of the throng of people.

"Might want to be pulling out that list of supplies, Harry, yer' gonna want to see what you need." Hagrid suggested. Harry pulled it out and began to read out loud for Elena's benefit.

**"UNIFORM**

**First-year students will require:**

**1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)**

**2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**

**3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**

**4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)**

**Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.**

**COURSE BOOKS**

**All students should have a copy of each of the following:**

**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk**

**A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot**

**Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling**

**A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch**

**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore**

**Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger**

**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander**

**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble**

**OTHER EQUIPMENT**

**1 wand**

**1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)**

**1 set glass or crystal phials**

**1 telescope**

**1 set brass scales**

**Students may also bring an owl, cat OR a toad."**

"Wow.. That's a long list. How are we supposed to carry all that stuff, Hagrid?" Elena looked up at the giant.

"A bag, of course." Hagrid replied, tossing each of the children a small duffle.

"I don't think it's all going to fit in this, Hagrid." Harry looked down at it skeptically.

"Don't worry, it will."

Six sets of robes, two pointed hats, two pairs of gloves, two winter cloaks, two pewter cauldrons, two sets of phials, two telescopes, two sets of brass scales and many, many books later, Harry, Elena, and Hagrid were off to the last two shops in their Diagon Alley adventure. The small duffel had indeed fit everything that children had needed, surprising them both. Hagrid was carrying Elena's bag, for it had gotten too heavy for her. She was skipping along ahead when she stopped in front of a small shop snugged in the shadows of two others.

"Is this it?" She called back to Hagrid.

"Yes, this is Ollivander's Wand Shop."

She opened the door of the little shop, and a wrinkled, dusty little white haired man looked up from the book he was reading.

"Ah, it's Mr. Potter, and little Ms. Potter as well. I was expecting you, Harry, but not you." The man said, glancing curiously down at the girl standing on her tiptoes looking up at him.

"I must say it certainly is a pleasant surprise. Well, down to business, then." The man walked over and grabbed a few boxes off a huge row of shelves.

As Harry was trying wands out, knocking things off shelves and breaking glass picture frames, Lena walked around, looking at this and that. She had never seen anything like this before, and she wasn't sure that it wasn't all just a dream in her head. She was walking down a particular row of shelves filled with what she now knew were boxes of wands, ducking under some drawers and stepping over others, when she saw a little black box in the corner of the aisle. It was dusty and covered in cobwebs and old paper. It was obvious that it had been there a while, but curiously, the spot right next to it was clearly recently disturbed, as if a box had once been there but had been taken away. Indignant spiders were scurrying around trying to fix their ruined webs. Elena didn't know why the box had caught her attention, but when she saw it start to shake, ever so slowly, she knew why. It seemed to be quivering with some kind of anticipation. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Mr. Ollivander was still trying out wands with Harry, and he didn't seem to be having much success. She ducked quickly as something near her popped, and boxes of wands came shooting off the shelves and fell to the floor above her head.

Turning back around, she kneeled by the box and dusted it off. There was a little silver latch, and by pressing a button in the center, it popped open. The inside's of the case were lined with dark purple silk, and lying in that silk was a long, black wand, shimmering and shining. It was the most beautiful thing Elena had ever seen. She didn't know what made her do so, but slowly, using her index finger, she cautiously touched the wand, and it seemed to glow were her finger made contact. She gently picked it up by the handle, and held it in her left hand, her dominant hand. The end that wasn't grasped in her hand glowed a bright white light, and the handle seemed to grow warm.

"Ah.. So it chose you. I was beginning to wonder if it would ever choose an owner." A voice from behind her whispered.

Elena bristled with shock and spun around.

"That wand was made with Hungarian Horntail heartstring, the most vicious of all dragons in the world. It has black unicorn hair woven into it, which is an incredibly rare unicorn only seen once by the living eye. The wood is black spruce, an incredibly determined tree that is known to grow in even the most cruel environments." Ollivander said.

"I didn't mean... It was.. Just..." Elena quickly put the wand back in it's case.

"Don't worry, the wand chooses the wizard, as I just explained to Harry. Here, there's something very special about this wand, let me show you." Ollivander gestured for the wand, and Elena put it in his wrinkled, soft hand. Ollivander took the wand and turned the handle side towards himself. twisting the handle, he pulled, hard, making the wand grow another inch and a half longer. On one side of this now exposed area, the wand was sanded down flat, but the other side was still curved in a half circle.

"This place here is where you can get your wand engraved with your name, or a symbol. There's only two wand's like this ever made. I just sold the brother earlier today." Mr. Ollivander said, closing the wand and handing it back to Elena.

"Oh? That's really cool." Elena looked at the wand in Ollivanders hand with increasing excitement.

"Have you found a wand yet, Elena? We need to go!" Called Hagrid from the front door.

"Umm, yes." She answered, allowing Mr. Ollivander to help her up.

She dusted herself of as she returned to the main room where Harry and Hagrid were waiting. Harry and Elena advanced to the desk and handed Mr. Ollivander some gold coins. Harry walked out the door, and Elena was about to follow when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She stopped and turned around. Mr. Ollivander put his finger to his lips.

"I told you that that wand is special, and it is, so that means it needs a place where you can get to it easily." He whispered.

He grasped her right arm and pulled up her sleeve, exposing her forearm. He strapped something leather to it.

"Hand me your wand." He said.

She did as he said and he slipped it into the the leather harness now attached to her arm.

"This is an arm sheath. They aren't very common, but some older people still use them. It'll help you get to your wand quickly. You can have it, no charge." Mr. Ollivander released her arm and Elena scurried out and back into the sunlight.

Back on the streets, Hagrid pointed to a large store labeled "Owlery."

"That's our last stop of the day." He announced.

They went in and were quickly back outside only fifteen minutes later. Harry had chosen a white speckled owl named Hedwig, and Elena had chosen a pure black owl with a shimmery silver face which she had named Nightshade. Then they arrived at the train station, where Elena and Harry had separated from Hagrid. They climbed on to the train, and squeezed between the students until they found the first year cabin.

Elena was jerked back to the present when she felt the train come to a screeching halt. Hermione, Ron, and Harry stood up.

"Well, looks like we're finally at Hogwarts." Harry muttered, helping Elena up and ushering her out of the compartment. She filed along the isle, behind Hermione and Ron and in front of Harry. All four of them stepped off the train and were greeted by Hagrid.

"First years, follow me!" He boomed, and slowly, they all started to follow him. they stopped when they reached a large body of water. Getting into a boat with Hermione, Ron, and Harry, she sat down on the hard bench, facing the land that they had just shoved off from.

"Well, this is it." She thought to herself as she watched the land, and everything that she knew, grow smaller and smaller as the boat moved farther and farther away.

**A/N once again I got bored with editing. I changed some minor stuff but not a lot. Read and review! Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Chapter three is definitely being edited as well. Enjoy the newly edited chapter!**

**Chapter 3**

Elena's head was resting on Harry's shoulder and she was dozing off when she felt the boat bump up onto land.

"I'm not surprised you're tired, you've had a long day." Harry said, patting her shoulder.

He stood up, and helped her out of the boat. All the first year students were dressed in their plain black work robes. Sighing, Elena grasped her brother's hand as the group of four trudged up to where Hagrid was standing. They followed him into the huge school and up a flight of stairs. There they stopped. Hagrid left, and all of the first years began shuffling their feet nervously. Elena felt someone brush up against her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a boy with slicked back platinum blonde hair looking at Harry.

"So, you're Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived. Who's this, your little girlfriend?" The blonde boy asked, looking at Elena's and Harry's hands, which were still clamped together.

"Sister, actually." Harry replied, narrowing his eyes at the boy.

"But I thought your sister was nine? First years are eleven. Nine year olds aren't allowed."

"Hagrid is going to talk to Dumbledore. My previous guardians threatened to kill her if she stayed." Harry squeezed Elena's hand.

"Harry, how does he know who we are? And I'm ten today. Not that it matters." Elena said, glaring at the boy.

"Because you're famous, you two are, although you're not as famous as he is, everyone knows who he is, but I don't know your name, just who you are. But he's Harry freaking Potter!" The blonde boy almost shouted.

"But why?" Elena looked around at the students surrounding them. They were beginning to look back as the blonde boy was causing a scene.

"Because you're-" The boy was cut off when a woman with gray hair that was pulled up into a bun and deep emerald robes came and stood in front of the students.

"My name is Professor McGonagall, headmaster of Gryffindor Tower. The others are ready to receive you now." She said, then turned and walked briskly away. The first years tumbled into a great banquet hall which had four enormous tables in a row, each one with lots and lots of kids of all ages sitting at it, and at the very end was a very long table with adults, watching the first years pile into the room. Elena saw a large podium with a man in long flowing robes and a long white beard standing at it.

"That must be Dumbledore." Elena muttered to herself.

Beneath the podium sat a single chair. Professor McGonagall stood next to it, a brown, ratty old hat in her hand.

The first year students walked silently up to stand below the podium, standing right in front of the chair. They room was filled with the sound of chattering students.

"So, What's your name?" Elena asked the blonde boy who was still standing next to her.

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." The boy replied, holding out his hand.

"What's yours?"

"Elena Lily T. Potter." Elena replied in a matter of fact tone, smiling and shaking Draco's hand.

"What does the T stand for?" Draco asked.

"I.. I don't know." Elena laughed. "It doesn't really matter."

Draco was about to reply when Professor McGonagall cleared her throat.

"When I call your name, you will come up here and sit in this chair. The sorting hat will place you in one of four groups: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw."

She then started calling out names.

"Abbot, Hannah!" She called, and a terrified red headed girl walked up to the chair and sat down.

"Hmm.. Hufflepuff!" The hat shouted. The girl stood up and rushed to her assigned table.

The names went on and on. Ron and Hermione, as well as a girl named Lavender, were assigned to Gryffindor. The boy Draco Malfoy was assigned Slytherin. Suddenly, Professor McGonagall shouted:

"Potter, Harry!"

The room went dead silent. Harry squeezed Elena's hand, the released it, and walked up to the chair and sat down. The hat was placed on his head, and Elena saw Harry's lips moving, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. After what seemed like a very long time, the sorting hat had an answer.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Elena saw Harry sigh in relief. He jumped up, and, giving Elena a reassuring wink, bounded off to his table, where he sat down between Hermione and Ron. The remaining students were called up, and Elena stood there as the numbers of students left went from the twenties, to the teens, to ten, to five, then finally, to two.

"Patil, Padma!" Called Professor McGonagall.

The hat was placed on Padma's head, and soon she was sitting at the Ravenclaw table, chatting with the other students. Elena was the last one left. McGonagall looked at her list, then to Elena, and then back at her list, shaking her head slowly, confused. An owl swooped down and dropped a folded piece of paper in Prof. McGonagall's hand. She unfolded it, and her eyes grew wide. She opened her mouth and announced.

"Potter, Elena."

The room grew quite once more. Elena walked unsteadily to the chair. She glanced up, and saw a man sitting at the far end of the head table, staring wide eyed and very intently at her as she sat down on the chair. The hat was placed on her head.

"Another Potter? How-" The hat seemed to freeze for a moment, then continued.

"So. It's you again. I'm shocked to see you back so soon, but, that's not my decision, is it? I must say the castle's been very quiet since you left."

"What? What do you mean? I've never been here before!" Elena protested.

"Oh? I must be mistaken then.. He certainly did an exceptional job, didn't he?" The hat muttered, seemingly to himself.

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked frantically.

"Well, none of my concern. So.. Where to place you? I believe Slytherin would be a fine choice, don't you?"

"What? I don't know... Please put me with Harry! Please!" Elena begged.

"Well you aren't acting very brave at the moment..."

"You can be scared and brave at the same time!" Elena said, unsure why it mattered so much.

"Very well... GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers and hollers. Elena made her way to Harry's side, wondering what the hat had meant.

The man with the beard introduced himself as Professor Dumbledore, and then introduced everyone else at the head table. The man that had been watching her was introduced as Professor Snape, headmaster of Slytherin, and potions master at the school. Dumbledore made a few more announcements, then said that the feast was to begin. Food suddenly appeared in front of Elena, and she was about to start eating when the hairs on the back of her neck rose, and she knew she was being watched. She turned around to see that Professor Snape was watching her. He saw her looking, then got up and walked over to whisper something in Dumbledore's ear. Elena turned back to see a ghost popping out of the potato salad. She almost fell off of the bench, she was so surprised.

"Hello, my name is Sir. Nicholas, or more publicly know as Nearly Headless Nick. Are you Ms. Potter?" He asked Elena in a gentle tone.

"Y- yes?"

"Follow me then, Prof. Dumbledore would like to have a word with you." And with that, he floated through Elena and waited for her to stand up. Elena looked at Harry, who had a confused expression on his face.

"Can Harry come with me?" Elena asked of the ghost.

"Sorry, Ms. Potter, but Prof. Dumbledore asked to see you, not Mr. Potter." Elena got up, and followed the ghost between the rows of tables. Se could feel peoples eyes on her, and her eyes wee starting to fill up.

"What's going to happen?" She thought."What's going to happen to me?"

**A/N Oh god. I seriously hate reading my old writing. I can't believe I thought I was good. I didn't edit much here just changed the names.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I'm editing this one as well. Maybe not as much, but it's still being edited. Thanks for reading! ~Jedss**

The ghost led Elena up a side flight of stairs and up behind the head table, where the other students wouldn't see her. There, behind the head table was a little lounge, with a table with two chairs next to a window that looked out onto a large lake. Sir Nicholas motioned for her to sit down. Elena plopped down in the overstuffed chair seated at the table, expecting the worst. Was he going to say that she couldn't be here? Was he going to send her away? She looked up at the ceiling to calm her nerves and saw that there were candles hanging suspended in the air. Her nerves not settled at all, Elena looked back down at the sound of a chair being pulled out and a heavy form settling into it.

"Hello, Miss Potter."

"Umm, hello, Mr. - er, Profes- er, uh, Sir." Elena stuttered nervously.

"Heh heh. I can see that you're a tad nervous to be here, and not with your brother."

"Yes, Sir. What is it you needed to talk to me about?"

"Well, as you know, most first years here are eleven, soon to be twelve."

"Yes, Sir, I've noticed that."

"Yes, well, you're nine, turning ten in-" he paused to check a watch that was on his wrist. "About a half hour. You would have been called on to attend Hogwarts in one year, but unfortunately the circumstances changed." Professor Dumbledore harrumphed a bit, and then continued.

"Well, you were sorted into Gryffindor, and our good Professor Snape expressed concern that there may be a few hazardous situations if you were placed in a first year dorm."

"But, why does he-" Elena began to ask, but Professor Dumbledore cut her off.

"He's got his reasons, so you are going to be placed in this tower to my left. As we speak your things are being taken up there with magic. You will still technically be in Gryffindor, and you will have your meals at that table. You also are fully capable of getting house points taken or given, and you will have free access to the Gryffindor common room as long as you're with your brother or another person who takes residents there. As for classes, you'll have Harry's exact schedule. Are we clear, Miss Potter?"

"Y- Yes, Sir." Elena began to rise.

"I want to tell you now, as to avoid future confusion. You are not to leave school grounds without another student, is that also clear, Miss Potter?"

"Yes, Sir." Elena began to walk back towards the steps that led to the main floor.

"And Miss Potter," Professor Dumbledore called after her. Elena turned around.

"Happy birthday and good luck."

"Thank you, Sir." Elena replied and scurried back to Harry's side.

"What was that about?" Harry asked her as she sat down.

"Umm, I'm not gonna be in the same tower as you guys, 'cuz I'm nine turning ten, so there's a po, pa, umm."

"Potential." Hermione whispered in her ear.

"Yeah, a potential danger." Elena sighed, and dug into the now not very appealing food spread out in front of her.

Elena woke up to Nightshade hooting from the perch above her. She groaned and rolled over and right onto the floor. Picking herself up, she tossed the tangle of blankets back onto her bed and heard a knocking on the door. She was in her two story tower, which consisted of a first floor which had a couch, fireplace, table, cupboards, and a cabinet. Up a flight of stairs there was a small, rectangular carpet with a bed, two dressers, two bookshelves, and a small bed table with a small desk lamp sitting on it. Looking up, one could plainly see a long wooden beam that was there for Nightshade. To the left of the entrance to the stairs was a small window with a window seat. Elena pulled on a black bath robe and tumbled down the stairs.

"Harry, is that you?" She called to the person on the other side of the door.

"Yeah, when you're done getting dressed, grab your Potions book. We have that first."

"Uhh, is that the green one?"

"No, it's the gray one. Now hurry up!" Harry replied.

Elena trampled back up the stairs and pulled off her pajamas, then tugged on the black skirt. She pulled off her pajama top and was startled to see the leather strap around her forearm.

"I forgot about that..." She muttered to herself.

She opened another drawer and pulled out a gray sweater with red and yellow trim along the neckline and wrists. After putting the sweater on, she pulled out a pair of gray knee socks, and after yanking them on, she pulled on her shiny black shoes and black work robe. Walking to the first bookshelf, she grabbed the gray book that said "Potions" clearly across the top. Remembering her wand, she grabbed the black wooden rod that was in its black case, and tucked it into the harness on her arm. It was easily accessible, she was glad to realize. She ran back down the stairs and yanked the door open just as Harry was about to knock again.

"Ready." She said, smiling broadly. "I can't believe I'm actually gonna do magic!"

"Sure, right." Harry said in a dismissive tone. "We're meeting Ron and Hermione in the classroom so we can get seats together, so walk fast, 'kay?"

"Okay." Elena replied, baffled at how her brother seemed totally unfazed by the fact that he was a wizard.

They walked quickly, asking for directions whenever they got unsure of where to go, and finally made it to the class, which was down a few flights of stairs in a dungeon like room. Spying Ron and Hermione, Harry quickly plunked down next to them. Elena spied Draco, who was sitting a few seats in front of them. He turned and saw her, and she gave him a quick wave before plunking down in her own chair.

"Elena, can I put your hair in a ponytail?" Hermione asked, looking at Elena's unruly blonde hair, which was brushed, but hanging in her face. "It will probably get in the way of today's assignment if I don't."

"Umm, okay?" Elena hesitantly agreed.

With a flick of Hermione's auburn wand, Elena's hair was up and pulled away from her face in a loose pony, two little curls framing her face.

"Ummm, Thanks."

"No problem, it's a simple spell." Hermione said, flipping her own hair, which was similarly pulled back.

Elena was about to reply, but stopped when she saw Professor Snape enter the room. He hesitated briefly when he caught sight of Elena, but recovered and kept moving to the front of the room.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses...I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death-" Professor Snape stopped, and stared straight at Elena.

— If you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

"Excuse me?" Elena thought.

As the class went on, everyone, except Elena, had lost interest, but Elena scribbled down note after note, making sure she didn't miss a thing. She might be nine, well, ten as of yesterday, but she knew how to spell most words, given that they weren't very long or tricky. When the class was over, she jumped up and dashed over to Draco.

"Hi, Draco!" She said enthusiastically.

"Hello?" He looked at her, standing there, seemingly quivering with anticipation. "Why are you so excited?"

"It's just that it is so very cool to be in a school about learning magic! I've never been to a school like this before! I mean, I didn't even know magic existed until Hagrid broke our door down. Not that I blame Hagrid for that, because the locks on our door were pretty hard to get through. But they were only like that because we moved 'cuz letters started coming through our chimney and-" Elena stopped suddenly when a voice from behind her said

" Miss Potter, please stay after class, I need to have a word with you."

Elena shivered involuntarily. She might have resolved to be the best in Potions class, but that didn't make Professor Snape any less creepy.

"Umm, well, I gotta stay after class it looks like..." Elena said to Draco dejectedly.

"Uh, yeah, Okay, see ya." Draco said, and then he followed the others out of the class. The room was cleared from the buzz of talking students, and was now very silent.

Elena walked slowly up to Professor Snape's desk.

"You wanted to speak with me, Sir?"

Snape didn't reply right away, just studied her face. Elena stood there, shifting from one leg to another, when a thought came to her.

"If he's going to study me, then I'm going to study him right back. Maybe then he'll see how awkward it is."

So, just like any other stubborn ten year old, she hardened her eyes and glared at his face. She studied his hooked nose, his angular, masculine jaw line, his pasty skin, his black hair falling about his face like a curtain, stopping at the base of his chin. She studied his black collar, which made his white skin look even paler in contrast. Finally she glowered at his eyes. They were black, almost as dark as Hagrid's, but Snape's eyes didn't have the loving, gentle nature that Hagrid's had. Snape's eyes were stony and mean and cold. Their eyes met, and for what seemed like an impossibly long time, they just stared. It was like a contest of who had the most guts, and who could make the better angry face. Elena knew she would win, simply because ten year-olds think they can do anything. Finally, Snape averted his eyes.

"I kept you after class because I noticed that you were taking notes the whole time. Were you writing notes to you brother? Or Mr. Weasley? Or Miss Granger?"

"No, no, Sir, I was taking notes on what you were saying, so I could remember for next class." Elena protested.

"Really? Let me see, so I know you aren't lying."

Burning with indignity, she handed her notebook to Professor Snape. Why couldn't he just believe her so she could leave? Snape scanned the pages, looking for something damning on them. Finally he gave up and handed the notebook back to Elena.

"I noticed you signed the top of the notes with your name and the date. Do you mind me asking what the T stands for?" Prof. Snape asked, looking at her.

"My full name is Elena Lily T. Potter, Sir." Elena, replied, looking over Snape's head at the rows of cauldrons, vials, and jars that were lined up on shelves.

"And the T?"

"I don't know, Sir. I've never been told."

Surprisingly, Elena thought she saw Professor Snape's head give a slight shake and his eyes flash with sudden anger. Or was it sadness? Defeat? Of course, she could have been mistaken.

"May I see your wand, Miss Potter?" Snape asked of Elena.

"My wand, Sir? I don't see what you need to see that for, I-"

"I would advise you to not talk back to me, Miss Potter." Snape said coldly. "Give it to me. Now."

Elena sighed and pulled the wand from the sheath strapped to her arm. She handed it over to Snape. Snape took it delicately, and moved it closer to his eyes so he could examine it.

"Interesting. The wand says a lot about its owner, Miss Potter. Did you know?"

"I've been told that, Sir." Elena replied even colder than Snape.

Snape looked up; his eyebrows raised in slight amusement, and looked into Elena's eyes again.

"I wonder why your wand is so dark, Miss Potter."

"I didn't realize the color of the wand had anything to do with why it chose me, Sir." Elena said indifferently.

"It has a great many things to do with it, Miss Potter. Nonetheless, I have one more thing to talk to you about." Snape flipped the wand back to Elena and she snatched it out of the air and quickly slid it back into its sheath.

"I saw you talking to Mr. Malfoy, did I not?" Snape inquired.

"Yes, you did, Sir."

"And you seemed rather friendly with him. May I ask how you come to know each other?" Snape's eyebrows rose even higher.

"We met yesterday, before we were sorted, Sir."

"Well, I will also advise you to stay away from him from now on; he doesn't seem to be a good influence on you."

Elena tried to hide a smirk, but she didn't succeed. For a ten year old, she was incredibly perceptive and smart.

"There's another person I've been told to stay away from as well." Elena said, shaking her head, and looking at Professor Snape's wand, which was sitting on the desk.

It was dark, somehow even darker than Elena's.

"But I'll take your advice into consideration, Sir." Elena said, looking back into Snape's black eyes. "But I don't know how successful I'll be." Smirking, she added, "Is that all, Sir?"

Glowering, Snape nodded, and Elena pivoted on her heels and stormed out of the class.

**A/N I didn't edit this one as much. Ugh crappy fourteen year old me writing.**


	5. Chapter 5

Coming out of the small passageway that led from Professor Snape's lair, Elena looked around for Harry, and saw him standing next to Hermione and Ron. Going over to them, she stepped on the hem of her robe and tripped. She closed her eyes and stuck out her arms blindly, aiming to break her fall. Instead of hitting the hard stone like she had expected, she felt a hand grab her right wrist and another wrap around her waist, holding her up. Steadying herself, she looked up.

"Thank yo-" The person who had caught her was Professor Snape.

"If you had fallen and gotten a bloody nose, I would have had to clean it up. I didn't want you making a mess." He said when he saw her startled eyes. Elena merely grimaced, then rubbed the places where Snape's skin had made contact with hers.

"Excuse me while I go wash my hands. And my clothes, while I'm at it." Elena was about to bend to pick up her scattered books, but stopped when she saw Snape twist his wrist. Her books flew into Snape's outstretched hands, stacked neatly. He smirked at her.

"You're in a school for magic. Use it, and don't be a dunderhead."

"Great. Now I have to wash my book covers." Elena said, smirking back.

Snatching her books from Snape, Elena stalked off towards Harry. When she reached them, she turned back to see that Snape had retreated back into his classroom.

"Seems like you and the Dungeon Bat are having a bit of a pissing contest, eh?" Ron commented on Elena's sour expression, giving her a small nudge with his shoulder.

"He's a jerk. I hate him. And I hate his class." Elena said.

It was a response that most pissed off ten year olds have when something doesn't go the way they wanted.

"And he hates me. So there." Elena added. "What's our next class?"

Hermione laughed out loud, and looked down at the surly girl.

"You are so adorable. Harry, I'm stealing your little sister." Hermione glanced at Elena, who was starting to smile, but she hid it quickly.

"Um, we have Defense Against the Dark Arts next." Harry replied to Elena while smiling at Hermione.

"What?" Hermione and Ron gasped. Even Elena took a quick intake of breath.

"DADA isn't taken until second year!" Ron gaped, his bottom jaw hanging so it almost touched his chest.

"And then it's still a maybe! Lots of people wait till third! How did you get in?" Hermione snatched Harry's schedule and started reading it. Then she took out her schedule and compared the two.

"Huh, that's funny. I have DADA too? I could have sworn I had-" She yanked Ron's schedule out of his back pocket.

"You too, Ron. Look." Hermione held the paper up to Ron's face.

"Weird..." He muttered.

All four of them suddenly turned to a huffing and puffing behind them. It was Neville Longbottom, another first year who had been sorted into Gryffindor.

"Hey guys! Wait up!" They waited until Neville caught up to them and he shoved his schedule in Hermione's face.

"Do you guys have DADA right now? 'Cuz I do, and I didn't know we could have it as first years, and I don't know if my schedule was jinxed, but it might have been, but I'm not sure, and I just want to make sure, "cuz I don't wanna be the only first year in it, then I'd get yelled at, and isn't DADA supposed to be scary, and hard? I don't think I'm up to that right now, and anyway I have a-"

"Neville, stop, stop, stop, stop." Hermione said, gently pushing his paper away from her face.

Defeated, Neville dropped his arm. He looked at Harry, then Ron, then down at Elena, who was officially freaked out by this whole encounter, then back at Hermione.

"No, Neville. We have DADA too. I don't believe our schedules were jinxed. Let's just get there, how about that?" Hermione said soothingly.

"Yeah, no need to hyperventilate now, right?" Ron asked sarcastically.

Elena tilted her head and looked at Ron in confusion as the group of five ambled down the hall towards DADA.

"Harry," Elena whispered, tugging at her brother's robe. "What does hyperventilate mean?"

Harry was about to reply when a group of older students, all girls, walked by.

"Did you hear, Sera? Professor Lockhart is teaching!" One of them said loudly.

"No way! How did you find out?"

"Percy Weasley told me!"

"You actually talked to him, Audrey?"

"Yeah, I finally got close enough to him to talk to him. Merlin, he's so dreamy."

"Yeah, and yesterday she 'accidently' bumped into him in the halls so that they dropped their stuff. Clever, clever, Audrey!"

"Shut up, Amelia! It was an accident! I promise!"

The giggling group of girls passed, and Ron watched them, making a face.

"How could anyone like Percy?" He muttered before they all turned into the classroom they had arrived at.

"Hello, my name is Professor Gildroy Lockhart, the DADA instructor." The man speaking was in very bright colored robes, and as Hermione walked passed him, he gave her a huge, dazzling smile.

"I'm not going to give you a whole long speech. Let's just get straight to today's activity. The spell is 'Riddikulus.' that's rid-dik-you-luss. It's a spell used against boggarts. Boggarts are harmed by laughter, but they come out as your worst fear. The spell riddikulus turns the boggart into something that will make you laugh. Laughter is the best way to defeat a boggart. Got it?"

Slightly confused heads nodded all around.

"Good, let's get started."

"He's a bit capricious, don't you think?" Hermione whispered into Harry's ear.

"Hermione, what does capricious mean?" Elena asked in confusion.

"It means like, having sudden changes in behavior, or mood." Hermione replied.

Then Elena whirled on Harry.

"Harry, you still haven't told me what hyperventilate means."

"Later, Elena. After classes I'll show you a book that I think you might like." Harry responded, and then gave Hermione a knowing look.

"Class, on this platform is a cabinet. See it? Good. Now, when I call your name, you'll step onto this platform and your worst fear will come out. Just point your wand and say riddikulus. Alright, to get started," Professor Lockhart closed his eyes and randomly pointed at a name on his list.

"Wait! Shouldn't you give us an example first?" Hermione exclaimed, raising her hand very high into the air. "That way we'll actually know what we're doing?"

"Goodness gracious, no." Professor Lockhart said, beaming his pearly whites to the class. "This is a very simple spell, anyone could do it! Miss Lavender Brown! You're first up!"

Lavender Brown went up to the podium, shaking. The cabinet began shaking violently, and a giant bat broke out, hovering above the ground. Lavender Brown closed her eyes and shrieked out,

"RIDDIKULUS!"

Instantly the boggart feel to the floor, now a bright yellow hummingbird. Lavender Brown looked relieved and went and sat down at her desk again. Professor Lockhart continued to call names, and soon the whole class was erupted in laughter that could be heard all the way down the hall.

"Okay! Wow, that last one was pretty funny. Anyway, the last student of the day will be..." Professor Lockhart closed his eyes and pointed.

"Miss Elena Potter!"

Elena froze. Yes, it was funny watching other people turn their worst fears into clowns and monkeys and frogs, but going up there and doing it herself? She didn't think she'd be able to do it.

"I- I'll pass, Sir." Elena stammered.

"Nonsense! Your name was called! It was obviously fate! HA! I'm afraid there's no way you're getting out of this one, Miss Potter."

"Maybe we should wait till she's a little older. I mean, she is only ten! That's a little young to be facing your worst fears, Professor Lockhart." Called Hermione.

"Yeah, maybe waiting till she's ready, Sir." Protested Ron as well.

The class was scattered with nods of agreement and murmurs of assent. Surprisingly, even Draco and his group of Slytherin buddies raised their voices in the protest.

"No, no, class. She was called, it's rightfully her turn." Professor Lockhart declared, an authoritative tone in his voice. Shaking once again, Elena slowly removed her wand from the arm sheath and climbed up onto platform. Facing the cabinet, she held out her left arm, wand in position. Her plan was to see the boggart come out, but close her eyes immediately afterwards, so she wouldn't have to look. Then she'd yell the spell, and it would be over with. Glad to have a plan, she closed her eyes and took two deep breaths as she heard Lockhart mutter the words that would release the boggart. She opened her eyes. There was nothing coming out of the cabinet.

"What-"

Then she saw it, streaming out of the cabinet in gushes and waves. The thick red liquid was already starting to pool around her ankles and a putrid smell hit her nose. Blood.

"How! How can it do this?" She cried.

She then noticed that the liquid wasn't going off the platform like she had expected. It seemed that an invisible wall had built itself and was keeping the blood inside of it. The blood was to her knees when she heard someone scream. Looking to her left she saw a girl pointing at the cabinet. Turning, she saw a huge fins slowly start to emerge.

"Oh God! a shark!" She thought with dread. She tried to back up but the invisible wall kept her from backing up any further. The red liquid was up to her elbows now.

Use your wand! Your wand! Riddikulus!" She heard Hermione yell.

Elena glanced at Lockhart with desperation but he looked just as confused and afraid as she felt.

"I can't! I dropped it! I can't find it!" Elena screamed, panic surging in her chest.

"I'm going to drown!" Realization hit Elena like a hammer.

Sharks, drowning, and blood. The three things she feared most, combined. She started choking on the blood, the salty, irony taste filling her mouth and making her gag. She felt a sudden tug on her leg, and she was yanked under the surface by the monstrous shark. She felt pain in her leg, then her right arm. Elena's chest started to ache with need for air.

"This is hopeless. I'm going to die!" Elena thought.

Elena opened her mouth and sucked in the thick blood. She gagged and choked and tried to cough, but all she did was inhale more of the red liquid. Her thrashing became less and less rapid, and finally, knowing that she would never open her eyes again, she black out.

**A/N okay, so the professors and events are all very mixed up because my fourteen year old self clearly didn't think any of this through. I know that Lockhart isn't shown until the second book, and boggarts until the third, but Lockhart's not mentioned at all in my year two, and Boggarts aren't in year three. I avoided that entire part.**


	6. Chapter 6

Elena awoke with someone looming over her, pressing on her chest frantically. She rolled over and coughed, sending a stream of blood out of her mouth. Sobbing, she clutched the person who had been emptying her of inhaled blood. It was Harry, and he stroked her hair and hugged her back. Elena's face, clothes, and shoes were drenched in blood, and it was obvious that some of the blood coursing down her leg and arm was her own, where she had been attacked. The ponytail that Hermione had graciously put up, once fluffy and soft, now hung limp and sticking to the back of her neck. Elena saw her wand lying a couple feet away to her left. It was similarly covered in blood. Harry slowly stood up, helping Elena to her feet.

"Please, Sir, may I take her to the Hospital Wing?" Harry asked Lockhart.

"I-I don't-" Professor Lockhart was wringing his hands in anxiety.

"Come on, Ron, help me get her to the hospital wing!" Harry lifted Elena to a standing position and she swayed back and forth.

Ron grabbed her from her other side and together they hauled her out of the classroom and into the hallway. They stumbled as they tried to keep Elena's blood sodden form from sagging to the floor. Elena was trying to help, but her feet wouldn't do what she wanted, and she kept tripping over them. Suddenly, Ron's foot became tangled in Elena's.

"Ron, don't drop-" Harry shouted.

'My foot's caught I can't-" Ron cried at the same time, and all at once the three of them fell to the floor.

"Crap!" Harry yelled. "She's just to heavy in her wet clothes!"

"I- I can try to take them off-" Elena's vision was going foggy around the edges, and she was having a hard time comprehending what the boys were saying to each other.

"What is going on here, Potter?" An angry voice full of malice growled.

"Elena's been hurt! A boggart almost killed her!" Ron frantically got to his feet and gestured towards the girl. "And we can't carry her anymore!"

"Move out of the way, Weasley." Snape pushed him aside and stooped to lift Elena from the floor. "Get up, Potter!" He spat at Harry, who was still sitting on the floor caching his breath.

The next few moments were fuzzy for Elena. She knew she was being carried, but when she tried to focus on their face, dizziness would hit her like a wrecking ball and she would feel as if she were going to throw up. A one point, she did retch, and while nothing came up, she could feel the person carrying her tighten their grip.

She closed her eyes and when she opened them again she was sitting on the Hogwarts Express. She was alone in her compartment.

"Harry?" She stood up from her seat. "Harry?"

She heard a scampering of feet outside the sliding glass door. "Ron? Was that you?"

Elena swallowed the fear that was rising in her chest and moved towards the door. Before she could open it however, a form slammed into it from the other side. She could see the silhouette of a person, but she couldn't tell who it was.

"Eleeeeennnaaa..." It sounded as if their tongue was made of sandpaper. "Eleeeenaaa..."

Elena felt the fer rising again and she could do nothing as she felt the mounting panic bubble up and out of her.

"Eleeennaaa!" The figure rasped again and banged a fist on the glass. A small vein of a crack appeared. "Eleeennaaa waaakee uuuup!"

"Wake up?" Elena put her hands to her forehead and pushed her hair back in fear and frustration. "I- I don't know what you want me to do! I am awake!"

"Waaaakkee uuup!" The figure pounded on the glass once more, and more cracks shot out. "Eleeeennaaa!"

Elena shook her head and cried out unintelligibly. She looked up to the ceiling and saw that there was a large, two handed hammer hanging from a hook. She grabbed it, expecting it to be incredibly heavy, but it was feather light. She turned towards the door. The figure was still there, pounding with both fists now.

"Move!" Elena yelled, waving a hand at the figure. "Move out of the way!"

Whoever was on the other side of the opaque door didn't move.

"MOVE!" Elena closed her eyes and pulled the hammer up behind her, then swung it forward like a baseball bat. There was the sound of smashing glass, then the tinkle as it fell to the floor.

Elena opened her eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

She saw only white. Panicking, she blinked furiously, trying to make something, anything, come into focus. She felt a pressure behind her head, and suddenly the whiteness was lifted from her vision and she saw faces. They were blurry, but obviously faces.

"Elena? Can you hear me?" Asked a high pitched voice.

"I-" Elena tried, but her throat was dry.

"Here, give me that bottle." She heard a deep voice say.

Elena felt something pressing against her lips, and she parted them, letting the cool water slide down her parched throat.

"Elena, you're in the Hospital Wing. You're going to be fine. You've been asleep for a few hours." The same deep voice said.

The faces were coming into focus now, and she saw that one belonged to Madame Pomfrey, and the other belonged to Dumbledore. There was another face, and it belonged to Harry.

"When will she be able to go back to her own room?" Harry asked.

"Later today, if she proves stable enough." Madame Pomfrey replied. "Dearie, please try to sit up."

Elena could feel her arms and legs again, and she pushed herself up from what she now found to be a white bed that she had been lying in. There was a rush in her head, but it quickly passed and she looked around at her surroundings. Curtains were drawn on either side of her, but in front of her she could see people walking back and forth.

"How are you feeling?"

This was a voice that had not spoken before, and Elena frantically looked around for its owner. She spied a dark form sitting in a chair on her right. As she watched, the figure slowly stood up, and the hood of the cloak he was wearing slid off to reveal dark, chin length hair.

"Why?" She asked, not answering him, but looking instead at Dumbledore.

"Professor Snape was concerned about your well being. He's been here since you've been out." Dumbledore replied.

"How long?" Elena asked.

"Not that long, just a few hours, no need to fret, just-" Dumbledore started to reply again, but Snape cut him off.

"You've been out for seven and a half hours."

"Yes. You may be excused now." Dumbledore said soothingly. Snape brushed by Elena's bed and past the others, His cloak billowing out behind him was the last thing Elena saw before he was gone.

Elena looked down at her right arm and sighed.

"Yes, I see you've notice your arm. Well, the cuts on your leg were small enough to fix without scarring, but on your arm, the cuts were too far apart to make them come together properly. I tried my hardest. Truly sorry." Madame Pomfrey commented. "It looks like you're going to be alright. You may leave when you feel up to it. Excuse me; I have a stomach to pump." And with that, Madame Pomfrey promptly left, leaving Harry, Dumbledore, and a very distraught Elena.

"You'll be alright, I'm sure. Here, these are some of your clothes. Harry and I will be waiting outside this curtain." Dumbledore and Harry stood up, Dumbledore set her clothes on the chair next to her bed, and they walked out, Dumbledore pulling another curtain closed.

Elena was now surrounded on all sides. Behind her, there was a whitewashed brick wall. To her right, left, and in front of her, there were white curtains that blocked her view of everything going on around her. It gave the feeling of being in a secluded jail cell. She could hear the pained cries of others, but could do nothing to help. She didn't like the feeling, so she quickly slipped out of the bed, relieved to find that she wasn't completely naked. She found that she had on white underwear and a white tank top that stopped right above her bellybutton. Grabbing the clothes, she yanked on the gray sweater, black pants, white socks, and black shoes, as well as her now clean work robe. Sighing, she pulled open the curtain in front of her.

"Ready."

They all walked out and down hall after hall, taking a few flights of stairs occasionally. Soon enough they found themselves at the base of a giant stone statue.

"Lemon Drops." Dumbledore muttered.

The statue shuddered, then rotated around, showing a hidden entrance.

"I need a word with Miss Potter in my office alone, please," Dumbledore said to Harry. "It will only take a moment. Wait here, please, Mr. Potter." Harry nodded, and Elena and Dumbledore were soon in the office.

Dumbledore walked over to a tall cabinet and opened it. Inside there were rows and rows of jars and vials.

"Come here, Miss Potter."

Elena hesitated a moment, but then slowly made her way over to where he stood.

"See this?" He asked, motioning to a vial he had in his hand.

Inside was filled with a shimmery liquid. He held up another one. This one held what seemed to be shiny air. Elena nodded.

"These are memories. This one," Dumbledore said, holding up the one filled with liquid, "is a tear memory. When you cry, hold a vial to your face and catch the tears. They contain your memory. This one," He said, holding up the other, "is one I took directly out of my head. Tap your wand against your temple then conjure up the memory you want it to contain. Then place it in a vial or jar. You can reexamine every memory you save countless times."

"How? How do you see them again?" Elena asked, fascinated.

"With this. This is called a pensieve." Dumbledore snapped his fingers and a large, round, black plate with a shallow depression, making it more bowl-like, floated towards him. It was filled with clear liquid.

"All you do is pour the desired memory into this, and then dunk your face in. You don't need to hold your breath. To get your memory out, all you do is tap the edge of this bowl with your wand, and the memory will return to its container, understand? Good. I'm going to give you one of these for yourself, okay?"

"Yes, Sir, but why are you doing this for me?" Elena asked.

"Because you, although only ten, seem to have many feelings bottled up inside. Memories that you want to get rid of but can't. This is a way to cope with the pressure on your shoulders."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Too many feelings and too many bad memories stored in a person for too long can make them metaphorically explode, and that, my dear, can lead to the worst kind of evil."


	8. Chapter 8

Elena, her arms full with a pensieve and many jars and vials, walked back to where Harry stood.

"What's all that?" Harry asked upon seeing Elena's load.

"Stuff that Dumbledore gave me." Elena spoke around a vial that had just slipped and now rested against her chin.

"Here, let me help you with that," Harry said, reaching out and grabbing four precariously perched boxes of vials.

"Thanks."

Harry and Elena made their way back to the main hall, filled with bustling students rushing to class. Elena was studying the ground in front of her, making sure there was nothing that would cause her to trip and fall, when she felt a presence on her right. Looking up, she saw penetrating icy gray eyes looking into hers.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked from Elena's left.

It seemed that Harry and Draco had formed a sort of hostility towards each other.

"I just wanted to see how Elena was doing. None of your concern, Potter." Draco spat back.

"Actually, it's all of my concern. She's my little sister, so why don't you just bug off?"

"Hey! You guys don't have to be so mean to each other! Draco just wants to talk, that's all." Elena soothed, trying to calm their rising tempers. "Okay. So what did you want, Draco?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. You were pretty messed up when they took you to the Hospital Wing. A lot of people thought you were gonna die."

"Wow. That's nice." Elena replied, grimacing.

"Well, while you were in the Wing, I tried to give you this, but, umm, Professor Snape wouldn't let me near you, so, yeah, here." He said, tossing a square-ish parcel wrapped in brown paper.

"I heard you asking about what some words meant, so I thought you might like that. I gotta go, later, Elena, later, Potter." Draco sneered then turned and strode down the hall.

"Thank you!" Elena called after his retreating back.

Once they got to Elena's tower, and all of Elena's things were in her upstairs room, Harry turned to go.

"When you're ready to come to class, grab your potions book. I'll be there. Or, after one o' clock, I'll be in DADA. Bye." Harry said, and then he rushed down the stairs and out Elena's tower.

Sighing, Elena looked around.

"Where am I going to put all these jars and vials?" She wondered.

She glanced at her spare dresser. She hadn't had a reason to use it, because all of her clothes and belongings had fit into the other one. She walked over to it. It was about chin level and it consisted of six large drawers. She found a black permanent marker and scribbled on the first two drawers the words "Spare Jars and Vials." On the next two she wrote "Tear Memories," and on the last two drawers she wrote "Mind Memories." Satisfied with her handiwork, she slowly and carefully places the jars and vials in the top two drawers. She guided the floating pensieve into a corner.

"I should try this out." Elena thought. She fumbled for her wand then yanked the bowl back so it hovered in front of her. She dashed over to the dresser and returned with a small jar. She closed her eyes and decided to use the first memory that came to her head.

"What's your name?"

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. What's yours?"

"Elena T. Potter,"

Elena tapped her wand against her temple and a wispy white smoke drifted out as if attached to the tip of her wand. Elena guided it to the jar and put the top on it. Using the permanent marker, she wrote "8-01-91," and she placed it in the first drawer marked Mind Memories.

Elena returned the bowl to its corner and grabbed a small pouch connected to a leather strap, and she put it over her left arm so it hung at her left hip like a purse. Taking three vials with lids, she shoved them into the pouch. She grabbed her Potions book and was about to leave her room when she remembered what Draco had given her. She picked it up off the bedside table where she had set it. She slowly unwrapped it, only giving herself two paper cuts in the process. In the folds of paper lay a small book, about the size of Harry's hand. The cover read "Wizard's Dictionary." The book had two little pieces of torn paper sticking out of the top. Elena flipped the book to one of the pages and saw that a word had been highlighted.

hyperventilate |ˌhīpərˈventlˌāt|

verb [ intrans. ]

breathe at an abnormally rapid rate, so increasing the rate of loss of carbon dioxide : she started to hyperventilate under stress.

"So. It's a book that tells me what words mean. Useful." Elena decided as she shoved it too, into her little pouch. She'd have to thank Draco for that later, when Harry, Snape, or anyone else wasn't around. She dashed down the stairs and out the door. She scurried around this corner and that corner until she finally stood at the entrance to Snape's dungeon classroom. Taking a deep breath, she slowly made her way down the twisting stairs.


	9. Chapter 9

Elena peeked around the corner, waiting to see when Snape's head was down so she could sneak in and sit next to Harry. Seizing an opportunity, she was next to Harry in a flash, letting out a breathe she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Safe." She whispered.

"Miss Potter," Came Snape's slow drawl from the front of the room.

Alarmed, Elena looked up, expecting to see Snape's cold eyes on her, but his eyes were still downcast, looking at the papers he was shuffling on his desk.

"How'd he see me? His eyes were down!" Elena thought with dread.

Snape slowly lifted his eyes from the papers and met hers.

"Why, may I ask, were you late to my class?"

"I just woke up, Sir, as you know," Of course he knew, for goodness sake, he was there when she opened her eyes! "I was just getting settled back into my room."

"And you think that's a proper excuse for being late?" Snape asked, his eyebrows raised.

"For Merlin's sake, Professor, she was attacked by sharks and drowning in blood and has been unconscious all night! Can't you give her some credit for being up and walking around? I mean, she's been through a lot!"

Elena whipped around, looking for the owner of the voice, and finding it. It belonged to a boy with tousled brown hair and small square glasses. She remember him from sorting day. He was sorted into Ravenclaw and his name was Logan. She remembered he had a white owl named Hermy.

"Mr. Boden, that will be ten points from Ravenclaw for speaking out of turn. Back to class then." Professor Snape snarled, glaring at this Logan character.

Class droned on, and Elena attentively took careful notes, underlining the ones she would need to look up in her new dictionary. Luckily, Snape didn't hold her after class, and she could leave with the rest of the students that were filing out of the class. Once back in the open hall, Elena scanned the crowd for Harry, and seeing that he was preoccupied, scrambled after Draco, who was walking down the hall, surrounded by his friends.

"Hey! Draco!" Elena called.

Draco stopped and turned around as Elena skidded to a stop, just barely stopping herself from running into him.

"Yeah?" He asked her suspiciously.

"I just wanted to thank you for the dictionary. It's really great." Elena beamed at him.

Her cheeriness was almost addictive, and he almost smiled, but he quickly hid it with a smirk.

"It was nothing. Just a little book I thought might help you. You know, teach you how to speak right and all." Instantly he regretted his choice of words.

Elena's smile faltered slightly, and her eyes flashed with hurt. It was only there for half a moment, but Draco didn't miss it.

"Yeah.. Right... Talk right..." Elena muttered. She smiled again, but Draco knew it wasn't as bubbly and ecstatic as it had been not a minute ago. "Anyway, just wanted to say thanks." Elena turned around and was gone before Draco could say anything else.

On her way back to Harry, Elena's path was interrupted by Logan, the boy that had spoken up in class.

"Oh, hi!" Elena said enthusiastically.

"Hi! Snape's a real git, isn't he?" Logan asked.

"Yeah. He hates me. I don't even know why! I didn't do anything!"

"He's like that to everyone."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah. That's what my older sister says, anyway."

"Oh. What class do you have next?" Elena asked to change the subject.

"DADA, but my favorite class is potions, even though Snape's a git. He looks like a giant bat!"

"Yeah. I have DADA too. Let's sit together. I think my brother's getting annoyed with me anyway." Elena said, glancing at Harry who was laughing with his friends Ron and Hermione.

"Sure. I have no one to sit with anyway." With that, Logan and Elena were off to DADA, and this time, Elena was gonna sit in the back, out of sight from Professor Lockhart, hoping that that might keep her from harm, just in case he had anymore tricks up his sleeve that might get her killed. Of course, Elena's hope was dashed the minute she walked into the classroom and saw what, or more appropriately, who was hanging from the ceiling.

A/N Wow... Please bear with me through these crummy chapters I don't even known what I was thinking when I wrote them.


	10. Chapter 10

The sound Elena made next couldn't be classified as a gasp or a groan, because it was more a mix of both. Neville Longbottom was hanging from the ceiling by his collar. He looked a little grumpy.

"No way, I'm out of here." Elena said, whirling around.

Flitting all over the room were little blue bugs.

"No," Elena thought upon further examination of the chaos going on around her. "Not bugs. Pixies?"

She felt a tugging on her hair and reached out and quickly snatched at what was pulling. All she caught was air.

"What?" She asked, baffled.

Suddenly a blue blur zoomed in front of her face.

"Oh no you don't!" She said, reaching out her hand lightning quick, pulling the blue thing out of the air.

She squeezed her fist, feeling the struggling thing try to squirm out of her grasp. She brought the little figure towards her face.

"EEEEEEEE!" The little thing screamed, struggling even harder.

"You think you can get away, you little insect? OW! Stop that!" Elena yelped as the blue person in her hand clamped down on her thumb with its teeth over and over again.

Elena raised her pointer finger and thumb and flicked it in the nose. It looked up at her, startled. It closed its mouth and eyes, and then started to hum. Elena watched as the blue figures all over the room stopped doing what they were doing, be it attacking a student or destroying a book, whether it was tearing down light fixtures or breaking glass bottles, they all stopped, as if frozen. Slowly, one by one or in small groups, they all started to hum. High pitched sounds filled the classroom and resounded in the halls. People dropped to the ground, clutching their ears and holding their heads, trying to keep the awful keening from invading their mind. Elena felt Logan slump to the ground at her feet, clutching his head as well.

The sound got louder and louder, but Elena kept hanging on to the pixie. Soon everyone around her and out in the nearby hallways was on the ground, their screams adding to the confusing echoes. Then, just as it started, it slowly ebbed, group by group, the pixies stopped, until just the little pixie in Elena's hand was the only one still humming.

"Was that an escape, attempt, Insect? Cuz it didn't work." Elena said, staring down at the pixie in her hand, half expecting it to restart its biting rampage on her now bloody thumb.

Unexpectedly, it slumped, as if defeated. Elena slowly loosed her grip, and then dropped her hand. The pixie continued to hover slump shouldered in front of her face. Elena pulled out her wand and pointed it at the blue figure.

"Into your cage, now. And bring your friends with you." Elena said, flicking her wand towards a small cage she'd spied sitting on the desk.

There was what seemed like a tidal wave of blue and then a loud bang as the cage door was closed. Elena took a piece of cloth laying next to the cage and settled it onto the cage. She rushed back to Logan.

"Logan, are you okay? Come on, get up." Elena said, helping the unsteady boy to his feet.

"Yeah, did I fall asleep?" Logan asked, bewildered.

"What? No! The pixie's hummed and it got really loud and you and everyone else fainted!"

"What pixies?" Logan looked at her in confusion.

Elena glanced around at the other students who were picking themselves up off the floor in a daze then shaking their heads. She watched as they walked off as if nothing had happened.

"Never mind." Elena muttered. "I gotta go, I don't feel so well."

"Okay, see ya!" Logan called as Elena ran down the hall.

Elena maneuvered her way around the now conscious, and totally oblivious, students. She saw Harry standing against a wall, talking to Hermione and Ron, starting their conversation where they left off.

"Hey, Elena!" Harry called out to her. "Hey, wait up! Elena-"

Elena ignored him and kept going. She ran all the way back to her tower, and she flung open the door. She flew up the stairs, dropping her cloak on her way up. She tossed off her shoes and pulled out her wand. She reached down to get a vial out of her pouch, but instead she felt nothing.

"Dang, it must have fallen while I was running!"

She grabbed another out of the drawers and tapped her wand against her ear. She remembered...

"Hey! Draco!"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to thank you for the dictionary. It's really great."

"It was nothing. Just a little book I thought might help you. You know, teach you how to speak right and all."

"Yeah... Right... Talk right...Anyway, just wanted to say thanks."

She put the memory into the vial and put a stopper in it. She quickly dated it then she fell onto her bed, staring at the ceiling.

"How the heck am I supposed to do well in this school if I can't even get passed second period? I missed the last half of yesterday and I didn't even get through a whole day! There's no way I'm a witch. I can't handle the simplest things! I walked down the hall and I felt overwhelmed. I should just go back."

Suddenly there was a knocking on the door downstairs. Elena quickly wiped her eyes and composed herself. Making her voice even, she stumbled down the stairs in her socks and open the door crack.

"What?" She asked.

Then she saw it was Draco, holding her brown pouch delicately in his hands.

"Uh, you dropped this."

"Thanks, Draco..." Elena replied.

"I... Uh, also kind of... Wanted to..." Draco seemed to be having trouble choosing his words. He fumbled a minute more, and then seemed to agree with himself on a sort of internal discussion.

"What I mean is that I'm really sorry."

"About what, Draco?" Elena asked, slightly confused.

Draco ran his fingers through his slicked back hair and took a few deep breathes.

"What I said in the hall after Potions. It was stupid to say."

Elena nodded, thinking back to that encounter.

"It's fine Draco, really. It's just weird. Being here and all. It's not what I'm used to."

Draco looked down, and Elena saw that he had a small stopwatch in his pocket.

"Merlin! Hey, I've got to go." He said, looking back up at her.

"Okay, bye!" Elena watched until he had gone down the stairs and out of sight.


	11. Chapter 11

(A/N) Edited. Year two is next, and it's completed. I'm, currently in year four and like I said, I'm basically skimming over those ones so that i can really get on to Elena doing her own thing.

Elena spent the rest of her first year at Hogwarts incident free. She spent her time with Harry, Hermione, and Ron. On occasion, she would spend time with Draco and his friends, but they never seemed like they had as much fun. She kept her head down in potions class, but it didn't seem to do her any good- Snape always found a way to make t a personal hell. Professor Lockhart didn't call on her anymore- after the boggart incident and the annoying blue pixies, he seemed to have lost his spirit in teaching the class, which was fine by Elena.

One the train ride back to the muggle world, Elena was able to say goodbye to all of her new friends, as well as prep herself for spending the summer with her horrid relatives. All in all, her first year as a witch wasn't so bad- but things can always change.


	12. Chapter 12

"Dobby, stop!" Elena whispered harshly, watching the cake hovering above her uncle's head.

"You must not go back to Hogwarts this year." Dobby replied, saying the same thing he had been repeating since twelve year old Harry and ten year old Elena had first laid their very astonished eyes on him.

"Dobby, don't you dare-" Harry started, but was interrupted when he saw the cake topple over and smash onto the top of Mrs. Mason's head.

Harry and Elena groaned.

"We are SO dead." Elena muttered as she watched Uncle Vernon's face go through several interesting shades of purple and red. "His face looks hot enough to melt the frosting."

Harry and Elena had returned to their personal hell waiting until term started again at Hogwarts. Elena had turned ten last year at Hogwarts, and her birthday was coming very soon, September 1st. It was late August, and term was supposed to start in three days. Harry and Elena had packed their bags earlier that day, anticipating the two day stay they were going to have at the Weasley's house.

Uncle Vernon's face went back to a moderate shade of pink as he stood up and stormed over to where Harry and Elena were peeking around the corner.

"Alright, that's it! I've had enough of your stupid magic! You will not be returning to that school for brats!" He yelled loud enough to shake the china in the house down the street.

Elena and Harry gaped at him in shock. No Hogwarts? Uncle Vernon grabbed a fistful of Harry's hair and grabbed hold of Elena's right arm and dragged them down the hall and up the stairs, throwing them into Harry and Elena's conjoined room. He slammed the door and they both heard the distinctive sound of the door being locked from the outside. About fifteen minutes later, they heard the sound of a power tool.

Elena looked out the now barred windows and stared into the starry night sky.

"I would be at Ron's house by now, if it wasn't for that stupid little pink gremlin or whatever it was." She thought.

Unexpectedly her eyes wandered to the left, where she saw two stars right next to each other that seemed to be growing brighter by the second.

"Harry, come look at this!" She whispered urgently to the moping figure on the floor.

"What is it?" He asked, uninterested.

"There're lights in the sky, Harry! I, I think it's a car!" She gasped.

"What?" Harry jumped up and looked out the window jest as the two lights streamed into the room, blinding both Harry and Elena momentarily.

"Well, come on then!" A voice from out the window called.

Elena quickly opened the window as far as she could, and reached out through the bars and grasped onto a hand.

"Ron?"

"Yeah, mate, that's me. Come on, we gotta go! We woke up the whole neighborhood!"

Elena didn't wait to find out who 'we' was; she turned and dashed across the room.

"Harry! It's Ron! He's in a flying car! Grab your stuff! Come on!" Harry looked at her in shock.

Then what Elena had said registered in his mind and he dashed around the room, grabbing his jacket as well as Elena's, grabbing the two owls that shared a conjoined cage, and pulling on his sneakers. Elena yanked the two suitcases out from their little corner and pulled on shoes of her own. It was a mere two minutes before Elena and Harry stood at the window, watching as Ron hooked something around the cage-like bars. The car began to pull, and the screws holding the bars in place began to screech. Elena winced at the sound. Suddenly there was a large crashing sound and the bars toppled to the ground.

"Climb aboard!" Called someone from within the car.

Harry helped Elena into the backseat, and then he handed her the suitcases, coats, and owls. Then she held out her hand and pulled Harry in after her. Out of the corner of her eye, Elena saw Uncle Vernon crash through the door that led to the now empty room. Elena laughed out loud.

"His face is purple again!"

It had been a terrifying flight in the car. Careening around corners and shooting through alleyways. They were invisible to the muggle world, of course, and Elena only hoped they were muted as well, because every time she thought they were going to crash, she screamed. Loudly. Now, however, she was standing at the entrance to platform 9 3/4, on her trolley she had her black and silver owl, Nightshade, a small carry-on bag, and her suitcase.

"Harry," Elena whimpered, holding out her hand.

She'd done it once before, but the concept of running through a solid brick wall still terrified the hell out of her. Harry grasped her hand, and she closed her eyes as they both ran towards the wall. There was a whooshing sound, and Elena opened one eye, looking about.

"We're on the other side now, Elena. Stop being a wimp and let's get our luggage stored." Elena gave Harry a shove as they walked along.

Luggage stored, they quickly got into a passenger car, and sat down in a little compartment. Ron found them first, and Hermione joined them soon after. On the long train ride, they sat chatting about this and that, Elena half listening and half staring out of the window, watching the scenes change from train station to city to town to trees, then to fields and then back to trees, then back to rolling, grassy fields.

"Do you think Malfoy will be back for another year?" Elena heard Ron ask in disgust.

"Ugh, don't even think of that git. I'd be happy if I never saw his ugly face again." Answered an equally disgusted Harry.

"Yeah, me either. I'm so fed up with him!" Hermione added, grimacing.

"I'm going to get some air, and uh, go to the restroom. And maybe change into my uniform a little early. To uh, beat the rush, 'kay Harry?" Elena muttered, grabbing her rolled up uniform up on a grating shelf above her head.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Just be back before we get there." Harry said dismissively.

"Sure..."

Elena rushed out of the compartment and out into the hallway.

"I don't think she liked us talking about Malfoy that way." Hermione said, watching Elena walk down the small hallway.

"I don't like the way he watches her. Or the way they hug in the halls when they think I'm not looking." Harry muttered. "She shouldn't interact with him at all."

"Yeah. Did you know they hung out last winter? No? Yeah, well I heard Lavender talking about seeing Elena, Malfoy, Crabb, Goyle, and that Pansy Parkinson girl going down to the lake. She said that they were having a lot of fun. Throwing snow at each other and all that stuff." Ron informed.

"And you wait until months later to tell me?" Harry asked angrily.

"I forgot! Merlin, Harry, don't have a fit!"

Meanwhile, Elena walked through the hallways of the train. Starting at the Gryffindor cars, she made her way through the Ravenclaw cars, then the Hufflepuff cars. She stopped when she reached the sliding door to the Slytherin cars. She could see Draco frowning at Pansy, who was complaining about something or someone. Probably Hermione. She did that a lot.

"I should probably go change. I'll see him at school." Elena thought, turning to go.

Draco's eyes flickered for a moment to the door when he saw the motion of someone turning quickly around. His eyes focused on the familiar sight of Elena, her blonde hair falling around her face as she turned around and retreated from the doorway. Draco glanced back at Pansy, who was still whining about that mudblood, Hermione.

"I'll be back." He muttered to Blaise Zabini, who was sitting on his left.

Draco stood up, stretched, and then left the car, following discreetly after the small blonde who was walking quickly towards an empty compartment.

"Changing already, Potter?" He called after her retreating back.

"Draco!" Elena gasped in delight. "I was gonna stop in and say high but you seemed busy."

"No, it's just Pansy complaining as usual. Oh- Blaise is calling me," Draco and Jessi turned to see the dark skinned boy waving Draco in. "It looks important. I'll see you at school, okay?"

"Okay, see ya!" Elena said. She turned away and started towards the bathroom to change.


	13. Chapter 13

Elena quickly went and changed, and then she went back to the Gryffindor cars and waited for Harry, Hermione, and Ron to return. When she saw Hermione arrive at the door to the compartment, she was relieved. She needed to talk to a girl.

"Hey, Elena. Harry was getting worried." Hermione said as she sat down.

"Yeah, I was talking to people."

"Harry wanted to make sure you didn't go into the Slytherin cars. It's dangerous, you know."

"No, I didn't. Hey, I have a question." Well, that was true. She hadn't gone in.

"Sure, go ahead." Hermione settled into the seat, getting comfortable.

"What's it like? Liking someone and having them not realize anything?" Elena had decided the most direct way of asking would be best.

"Uh, well, I'm not sure what you mean." Hermione cleared her throat.

"Oh please, Hermione, I see the way you look at him. I'm not blind."

"Well, I'm content being friends for now. Who do you have your eyes on?"

"Uh. It's a secret." Elena replied quickly.

Hermione was about to say something when the compartment door was opened by Harry, followed shortly by Ron.

"Hey, your back!" Ron said cheerily, looking at Elena.

"Yeah."

"Where were you?" Harry asked accusingly.

"I wasn't in the Slytherin cars, Harry, and even if I was, it's none of your business!" Elena snapped back viciously.

"It is my business, Elena! You're my sister! I have to make sure you're being, well, you know, safe!"

"How can I not be safe with you smothering me with your 'protectiveness' all the time?"

Harry opened his mouth as if to answer, but no sound came out.

"You don't make a very convincing fish, Harry." Elena smirked. "Looks like the train's about to stop. I'm leaving. As for you Harry, I don't care if you ride back to London."

Elena stormed out of the compartment, snatching her belongings off the shelf above Ron's head as she went.

"Merlin, Harry, she practically bit your head off." Ron muttered.

"That sounds very unpleasant, doesn't it Ron?" Harry replied threateningly.

"Calm down, both of you! She's probably just stressed about being back at Hogwarts. I mean, last year she did kind of get attacked by sharks and almost drown in blood on the second day, if you remember." Hermione said, cuffing Ron in the back of his head with her book.

"Of course I remember, Hermione." Harry said, pained.

"Well, if it had been you, don't you think you would be a little nervous going back?"

Suddenly the train jerked and there was a loud screeching sound. The train shuddered then halted. Hermione glanced out the window.

"I wonder what's wrong. We're not at the station yet."

"Of course. Something's wrong on the first day back." Ron groaned. "If you don't mind, I'm going to sit here and let the problem sort itself out."

"I wonder where Elena went off too." Harry fretted.

"Don't worry. She probably went to go sit with Parvati and Padma. They're friends, you know." Hermione said optimistically.

"Yeah..." Harry muttered, glancing out the window. "It kind of looks like it's about to rain."

"What? No way! It was sunny just two seconds ago!" Hermione gasped, running to the window.

As she reached the window, the first light drops fell from the sky. Harry, Ron, and Hermione listened as the raindrops got heavier and more frequent and the wind whipped the trees on either side like they were tall blades of grass. As the huge drops, well, more like huge bucketfuls of rain, hit the ground, the mud ricocheted and hit the windows, making it hard to see.

"Well things could be worse." Ron said, settling into the cushiony seat.

Just as he finished, the lights flickered twice, then went out. Yelps of surprise were heard throughout the car.

"I'm going to go find Elena. She's never liked the dark." Harry announced, standing up.

"It's not really that dark, Harry. Elena'll be fine." Hermione said soothingly.

"I can't see your face, Hermione. I'll say that's pretty dark." Harry said.

Harry strode to the door and slid it open. He looked right and left, which was useless, for he could only see a couple feet in front of him. He stumbled out into the hall and decided on going left, the direction of the restrooms.


	14. Chapter 14

Elena was storming down the hall towards the Slytherin Cars.

"Merlin! If Harry is going to act like this even when I haven't done anything wrong, I might as well go into the Slytherin Cars. He can't get much angrier than he was back there." Elena was reasoning to herself when she felt the whole train give a huge lurch.

Most people were back inside their compartments by now, so no one saw Elena drop her stuff and go sprawling to the floor. Elena winced in pain as her wrist twisted awkwardly under her. Elena slowly got to her feet, collected her scattered belongings, and, cradling her hurt wrist with her other hand as she looked out a window. The train had stopped, and there were dark clouds in the sky, which quickly started to release rain, which fell hard against the train and the ground, causing the dirt to bounce up and hit the window.

"Wow, this is fun." Elena muttered sarcastically, backing up from the window.

She heard the wind begin to pick up and it shook the window panes. Elena shivered involuntarily. She quickly looked up as the light flickered twice, and then went out.

"Crap!" Elena gasped.

She shuffled down the hall, almost frantically when again, the train lurched. Elena fell to the floor again, and her head thudded against a compartment corner.

"What? The trains already stopped! How can it be lurching again?" Elena thought, scared and confused.

She crawled to the wall and pulled herself up. She made it, unsteadily, to the door of the Slytherin Cars and pulled on the handle of the sliding door. It didn't budge. She pulled again, harder, but it still wouldn't open. She stumbled back, and opened the door to a Ravenclaw compartment. She quickly closed the door behind her and sat down on the small seat provided. She pulled a large sweater with the letter E on it out of her bag. Molly Weasley had made it for her last Christmas. She yanked it on. It was already beginning to feel chilly. No electricity for lights meant no electricity for heat, either.

"This is a perfect time for storing memories, however." Elena muttered.

She pulled out her wand from its sheath that was strapped on her arm, and had been strapped to her arm since the day she got her wand. She put the black wand against her temple and remembered. A shimmery wisp of air attached itself to her wand and she gently placed it in one of the many vials she always kept close at hand. She put a stopper in it, and pulled out a black sharpie. She wrote 9-01-92 then placed it back in her bag. Her fingers were starting to get cold. She curled up in a ball on the seat and hugged her knees.

"Of course," She thought smirking. "It's my first day of going back to Hogwarts and something bad happens."

It seemed to be getting colder by the minute. She could see her own breath. She leaned up and glanced out the window. It was getting dark. How long had the train been stopped? It couldn't have been more than twenty or so minutes. Elena sighed.

"I should have just stayed with Harry and Hermione. At least then I wouldn't have to freeze to death alone." Elena thought as she stared down at her fingertips. She thought she saw a blue tint at the very tips. That couldn't be possible, could it? It couldn't be that cold.

Elena felt the footsteps before she could hear them. They were soft yet rapid vibrations on the floor that quickly jolted Elena out of her examination of her fingers. She stood up and shivered. She quickly opened the door to the compartment and looked down the hallway in both directions.

It was hopeless, however, because she couldn't even see her own feet. She silently closed the door and locked it. She quickly took out her wand and backed up until she bumped into the wall behind her, her wand held in front of her, facing the door. There was the sound of someone whispering, and Elena heard the lock click and she watched as the door slowly slid open to reveal a ghostly dark shape.

"STUPEFY!" Elena yelled and a bright light zoomed out of her wand.

The figure yelped and jumped to the side, out of Elena's view. Shaking all over, she slowly peeked around the corner of the doorway, her breath coming in short gasps, visibly clouding about her face before spreading out and disappearing. She didn't know which way the figure had gone, so she whispered a quick 'lumos' and sprinted down the silent hallway in the direction of the Gryffindor cars. The walls blurred by and out of the corner of her eye she saw the figure jump out from a compartment on her left. She screamed and tried to run faster but the figure was much too fast, and she felt him, yes, it was definitely a 'him', wrap his arms around her waist and she toppled to the floor, him on top of her. She shrieked in fear and defiance struggling under the weight of the figure on top of her. She strained her arms and fingers in all directions, trying to find her wand which had flown out of her hands when she fell. She screamed again but was cut off when she felt a wand pressing against her neck, right under her chin.


	15. Chapter 15

Elena smelled the distinct scent of bad rolling off the figure in waves. While bad doesn't actually have a real smell, Elena could not only smell it, she could feel it. This man, who was currently holding a wand under her chin, was an incredibly bad person.

"I have you. Finally." The man hissed in her ear, his stubble scratched Elena's chin as he spoke. "The Dark Lord will be so pleased."

Elena could feel his heartbeat through her sweater. It seemed to race in excitement.

"Wha- wait, who? Why?" Elena stumbled over whispered words trying to make sense of what the man was saying.

"The Prophecy, stupid girl, is the reason why you are of such importance!" The man almost yelled.

Elena was about to reply when she felt rather than heard an explosion and a sheet of whitish yellow light flew inches over her nose, dragging her attacker with it. She stayed on her back, shocked and dazed, blinking. She felt a tugging on her arm, and she slowly turned her head to see Hermione of all people, kneeling next to her, trying to get her on her feet.

"Elena, get up! Hurry Elena! Now!" Hermione screamed in Elena's ear.

Elena scrambled up, and she turned to see Harry and Ron with their wands out, pointing them down the pitch black hallway.

"He's coming! He's coming back! Run! RUN!" Harry yelled. Hermione turned and dashed, while Elena stood there in confusion. Harry yanked Elena after him as she passed, dragging her after him. With Hermione in the lead, she led them into another empty compartment. Once all four of them were in, Hermione turned the lock on the door and whispered a few spells to secure it.

"Who was that?" Demanded Harry in a harsh whisper, pulling Elena around so she faced him.

"How should I know?" Elena hissed back venomously.

"He was kind of sitting on you, Elena. Is he your boyfriend?"

"Yes, Harry, because I go out with fifty year old men!"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean, Harry?"

"Elena, did he, you know, do anything to you?" Hermione's calm voice intervened.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Did he say anything to you?" Hermione persisted.

"Yeah."

"What did he say?"

"He said that the Dark Lord would be pleased that he had me because of the Prophecy."

Hermione and Harry gasped, and they were quickly followed by Ron, after he remembered who the Dark Lord was.

"What? What Prophecy? Why? Who was it? What did he look like? Did he say anything else? Elena tell us! Did he mention any names?" Hermione, Harry, and Ron cried at once.

Elena squeezed her eyes shut and put her hands over her ears.

"I don't know." She whispered.

"What? Speak up!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Elena cried, startling Ron, Harry, and Hermione into silence. "He attacked me and all he said was that the Dark Lord would be happy he had me because of the Prophecy. That's all."

"Okay." Hermione said soothingly.

Harry seemed about to say something when the train gave a violent lurch, and slowly started to move forward again. The light flickered and stayed on, and the room slowly began to heat up. Hermione turned and took her charms off the door after convincing herself that this meant that everything was okay. Suddenly there was a knocking on the compartment door.

"Elena? Elena, are you in there?" a familiar voice called.

"Draco?" Elena gasped and leaped towards the door, avoiding her brothers restricting arms.

She yanked open the door and a huge, beaming smile covered her face.

"Hi... Uh, I found your wand down there," Draco muttered, pointing down the hall to where Elena had recently been attacked. "and I've been looking for you. I found your stuff in a compartment way down the hall, so I didn't know you were. I was concerned because there was a broken window with blood on it and I thought maybe that the people who had attacked..."

"There was a broken window?" Hermione cut in, looking sharply at Draco.

"Yeah, there was, Granger, I just said that." Draco replied curtly.

"There was more than one?" Elena asked, bringing Draco's attention back to her.

"More than one what?"

"Person."

Hermione watched the two of them interact, and noticed how Draco's hard, edgy tone totally melted when speaking to her. Hermione put that on her mental list to keep an eye on.

"Yeah, there were lots of them. They kept going from compartment to compartment, like they were looking for someone."

"Oh Merlin's saggy left-" Ron started.

Suddenly the train pulled into Hogsmeade station. Draco handed Elena her wand, gave her one more worried look, and then rushed off to get his things. Elena rushed off with harry, Ron, and Hermione in the other direction to get her stuff in the compartment she had abandoned. She arrived to find her bag and belongings had been ransacked, and scratched into the fabric of her bag were the letters

TMROEDLOV OT GLNOBE OYU


	16. Chapter 16

Elena slowly climbed the stairs leading to her little secluded tower behind the head table. She had been offered a place in the actual dorms this year because she had turned eleven about a half hour ago, but she decided she liked the little place she could call her own. The sorting ceremony had been...Interesting. The first years had given her lots of stares, but seeing how some of them were probably older than her, it wasn't all that weird. Professor Snape, much to Elena's disappointment, was still a teacher, and that probably was the only thing that wasn't fantastic about Elena's little birthday party at the Gryffindor table which had included Ron, Hermione, Harry, Fred, George, Percy, a girl named Lacey Brown, who could have been related to the Weasley's, except that her hair was a bright red, and she had light, spring green eyes, and even Neville Longbottom. There had even been a little cake that had the words "Happy Birthday, Elena!" in red and gold frosting. For her birthday, Fred and George had given her a bracelet with little dangles on it. The dangles were shaped like carrots.

"It's because we want everyone to know you're a supporter carrot heads!" They laughed as they shook their orange hair in her direction.

Hermione had given her a book, and Ron and Percy had together bought her a set of crayons and a coloring book with moving pictures. The best present, however, was given to her by Harry. It was a framed picture of their Mum and Dad. Their Mum was holding a squiggling young boy and their Dad was holding a small bundle of cloth with a tiny face and a little hand waving around in the air sticking out of it. The date on the bottom proved that the picture had been taken only two days before Lily and James had been brutally murdered. She thanked them all, wiping her eyes as Harry put his arm around her shoulder.

A letter was delivered to her as everyone as headed to the dorms, and in her case, her tower. She was to Meet Dumbledore in his office at 9:00p.m.

"Why does my birthday always have to be so freaking traumatic?" Elena shouted at the wall.

She climbed the final few steps into her room and felt a wave of relief and belonging. The bed was made exactly like it was when she left it. The two dressers, one soon to be full of clothing, the other full of jars, vials, and memories were still there, and, as far as she could tell, totally undisturbed. The bookshelves, too, were still there, one empty, except for a mix of muggle and wizard books, and which would soon be filled with this year's texts, and the other had quite a few pictures, both still and moving. The pensieve was still in its corner, and the window seat still had Elena's favorite throw pillow on it. Elena new that, just like last year, she would be sitting on that window seat for hours at a time, staring at the lake and forbidden forest.

Sighing, she turned around and unpacked her bag, setting her gifts carefully on her nightstand table. When she finished, she was about to put the bag under the bed where it would remain until the end of term, slowly collecting dust, when she saw the marks on it. Quickly she wrote the letters down that had been scratched into the bag.

TMROEDLOV OT GLNOBE OYU

She grabbed the paper and trotted back downstairs and sat in the small, overstuffed maroon armchair and started to decipher the scrambled letters.

Elena glanced up when she heard the big, grandfather clock in the corner strike 9:00p.m.

"Oh crap! I gotta go!" She cried as she frantically shoved the piece of paper in her pocket and dashed out of the tower. She ran around corners and up steps, ignoring Filch's call of "Children out of bed! Children in the corridor!"

Soon, she arrived at the gargoyle statue and panted out "Blood pops."

The statue hopped aside and she scrambled up the steps two at a time and knocked on the door.

"Come in." A voice from within said, and Elena pushed open the door slowly and stepped into the large study.

"Hello, Headmaster." Elena said, looking at the floor.

"Hello, Miss Potter. Please sit. How have you been?" Professor Dumbledore asked kindly, gesturing to a chair.

"Very well, thank you. How about you?" Elena asked, sitting down.

"Very good as well, thank you." Dumbledore replied. Elena fidgeted and shuffled her feet, waiting for him to tell her why she had been called to his office.

"Well, Miss Potter, I heard of the incident on the train this afternoon. Do you mind telling me about it?" He asked with a sympathetic look in his facial features. Elena proceeded to tell him everything that happened, starting with her first argument with Harry, about the prophecy the man that had tackled her mentioned, up until the point in which Harry gave her the picture of their parents. However, she left out the fact that there had been strange letters engraved in her bag. Dumbledore listened with rapt attention to everything she said. When she had finished she looked at him expectantly.

"Well. That's a very curious string of events." Dumbledore said after some consideration.

"Yeah..." Elena muttered, lost in thought.

"Very well. It was nice seeing you again, Miss Potter. Have a good night!" Dumbledore dismissed her and she walked down the steps, throwing a last "good night!" over her shoulder.

While Elena scurried down the darkened hallways she thought about her sorting a year previous.

"Well, I'm certainly not brave." She muttered to herself as she looked carefully into the shadows.

"Lumos." She half shouted.

"Why, hello there." A voice from above her said.

Elena gasped and almost dropped her wand, but steadied her shaking wand hand and held it above her head, were she saw a painting of an old lady with gray hair.

"Do you mind putting out that light? It's a bit late for that, don't you think?" The lady said kindly, looking down at her.

"Yes, right, sorry. Nox." Elena said, and the light at the end of her wand promptly went out.

She continued to walk almost blindly in the direction she hoped her tower was, but stopped suddenly as she heard a muttering in a room to her right. Curious, and a bit scared, she opened the door a crack and peeked in. She saw a hunched figure and what seemed to look like a mirror. She tiptoed in a little more and saw that the hunched figure looked very familiar.

"Harry?" She whispered, but the figure didn't turn around. "Harry?"

The figure gasped and turned around, startled, and threw something over his head.

"Elena?" a voice coming from a now invisible person asked.

"Yeah, Harry, it's me. What are you doing here past curfew?" Elena asked suspiciously.

"I might ask you the same question." Harry retorted, swiftly taking off his cloak and tossing it aside.

"I had a meeting with Dumbledore." Elena said.

"That's right. Well, come see this!" Harry said, running forward and grabbing her arm, then dragged her back to stand in front of the little mirror.

There was a little engraving on the bottom that read

Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi

"ishow no tyo urfac tyo urhe arts desire?" Elena asked Harry, trying the words backwards in her mouth.

"I show not your face but your heart's desire." Harry said, looking down at her. "I figured it out when I came here last year."

"You've been here before?"

"Yeah. Now look in the mirror." Harry urged, and Elena cautiously stepped in front of it.

She saw herself, and suddenly images started to appear around her. It was Harry, holding her hand, and he no longer had a scar. There was a red haired woman and a man with dark hair and glasses behind her and Harry, and as they came into focus, Elena saw that it was her Mum and Dad. Elena turned around quickly, but saw no one except Harry, who stood to the side.

"What do you see?" He asked her as she turned back around.

"Mum and Dad. There's also you and me." Elena replied.

"Yeah. That's what I saw too." Harry said.

Elena made it back to her tower and climbed the stairs, and slowly changed into her pajamas and climbed under the blankets of her bed. She stared up at the cone like ceiling. It was so high up, the very tip of the ceiling was lost in the darkness. Elena sighed. It had been a long night. Before she closed her eyes, she looked at her picture of her parents that was on her nightstand. She kissed her fingers, then pressed them to the picture, closing her eyes and imagining what her life would have been like if they were still alive. Slowly, her breath evened out into slow inhales and exhales, and she was swallowed by sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

"Nightshade!" Elena shouted, glaring at the black and silver owl that had the other side of her sock in its beak. They were struggling in a kind of tug-o-war as Elena clung to the other end. "Nightshade! Stop! I need this!" Elena cried, trying again to yank the piece of fabric out of the birds mouth.

She lost her grip and went toppling to the floor, skidding across the rug in such a way that it lifted up the corner, and in a way that was sure to leave some rug burns.

"Merlin, Nightshade! Why in the bloody hell did you do that?" Elena groaned as she picked herself up, examining her now raw knees and palms as Nightshade flew triumphantly up to her perch and gave a low hoot.

Elena turned to fix the crumpled rug when she saw a curious sight. The crumpled rug had exposed a lighter colored wood. Wondering, Elena crawled to where the rug was turned back and pulled, revealing a very small wooden trap door.

"OOH! This is like what happens in those really obvious muggle mystery books!" Elena said in glee as she pulled on the door handle. Nothing. The door didn't budge.

"Is it locked?" Elena asked herself as she pulled out her wand and pointed it at the door. "Alohamora." Elena said confidently.

Elena had learned this spell from Hermione. There was a night last year when Elena had gone to the Gryffindor common room to have a sleep over with Hermione but hadn't been able to find, her, Ron, or Harry. Elena had waited for hours until someone came in saying her brother was in the Hospital Wing and she should go to him immediately. All three of them refused to tell Elena what had happened, but Elena didn't mind. Really.

The door made a clanging sound and Elena pulled on the handle again. This time the door opened easily. There was a little ladder, and Elena, so overcome with curiosity and excitement that she didn't have room for fear, caution, or logic, scrambled down it two rungs at a time, paying no attention to the several splinters she got in her one sock-less foot. She touched the floor and she spun around. It was a little nursery. The pink and purple crib in the corner was covered in dust, and there was a little bookshelf in the corner, and it too, was covered in a layer of dust. Elena too a step forward, but cried out in pain as her foot stubbed against a little box on the floor.

"Ow, Merlin, that really hurt." Elena muttered, pushing the box aside carefully.

She walked to the bookshelf and picked up a little book laying on it's side. The Tales Of Beetle the Bard was written across the cover. Elena flipped through the pages, and dust flew up in her face. She landed on a picture of three boys, one wearing a cloak, one with a wand, and the other had a stone in his outstretched hand. Elena stared at the picture. Why was it so familiar?

The deep voice laughed as the little baby in his lap giggled in excitement, clapping her hands and pulling on the mans hair. Impatient for the man to continue with his story.

"So demanding! Like your mother used to be!"

Elena gasped as she came back to reality. That was strange. Why had she just had a flashback of something that could never have happened? Elena shook her head and put the book down. she went and climbed back up the ladder, then smoothed the carpet back over the little door. She grabbed another sock, pulled it on, put on her little black shoes, grabbed her bag and her wand, smoothed down her black skirt, and ran out of her tower, knowing she was SOO late for breakfast.


	18. Chapter 18

Elena walked down to the Gryffindor table. She plopped down in between Fred and George, because they were having a very serious conversation that seemed much too suspicious to not interrupt. She snatched a piece of toast and a jar of jam and started to spread it, waiting for the lecture that was surely to come from Hermione VERY soon.

"Elena Potter, you are almost fifteen minutes late for breakfast!" Hermione harped at her as Elena munched on her toast.

"And your socks don't match." Ron muttered down at his scrambled eggs.

Ginny giggled and Fred put his arm around Elena's shoulder.

"Hey, don't make fun of our mismatched Elena and her mismatched socks!" George stated jokingly as he grabbed her toast out of her hand and took a big bite.

"Yeah, she's just a little messed up in the noggin." Fred said, grabbing Elena's toast from George and taking a bite himself.

"Where's Harry?" Elena asked, snatching her half eaten toast from George.

"Right behind you, mate." Fred and George said together.

Harry plunked down next to Elena and grabbed her toast out of her hand so he too, could have a bite. Elena threw her hands up in exasperation and grabbed another piece of toast.

"I am not messed up in the noggin. Nightshade stole my other gray sock!" Elena said to Fred and George.

"We know, mate, we were just goofing with you." Fred said as he and George jumped up.

Elena turned to Harry, intent on talking about the mirror they saw last night when a large parcel carried by an owl dropped onto her newly jammed toast, causing both package and toast to fall to the floor. Elena sighed. It seemed like no one was going to let her eat. She bent down and picked up the package. A little folded piece of paper was tied to the top. She unfolded it and read.

Dear Elena,

I want to wish you a delightful birthday. I've noticed you have an interest in muggle items. On the weekends I see you using an old muggle radio. This is for you; I do hope you'll enjoy it.

S.T.S

Elena read and reread the letter.

"Hey 'Moine, do you know what S.T.S stands for?"

"No, why?"

"Well, they just sent me a present."

"Well, open it!" Ginny half shouted.

Grinning, Elena opened the wrapping and revealed a box that said in big bold letters iHOME.

There was another little box and it said iPOD.

Ginny opened her mouth excitedly, but stopped when a figure loomed over Elena.

"Miss Potter." Came Snape's slow drawl.

"Sir." Elena replied, glowering up at him.

"If you haven't noticed, everyone is gone from breakfast except for you and your... Gang."

Without replying, Elena stood up and walked out of the great hall.

"She's just a bit cranky, S- Sir... Her owl was giving her t-t-trouble, so please forgive her r-r-rude-rudeness." Ginny stammered, avoiding Snape's gaze.

Snape glared down at her, and Ginny shrunk back.

"Just this once, Weasley." Snape growled and strode away.

"Merlin, Draco! Professor Snape just infuriates me!" Elena complained later that day when both Draco and her had a free period.

They were sitting in a tree in the courtyard watching people pass below them.

"That's a big word for a little eleven year old." Draco teased.

"Shut up, Malfoy. OH! I forgot to tell you! Guess what I found in my tower this morning!" Elena yelled, surprising Draco with her outburst so much that he almost fell out of the tree.

"Watch it, Blondie, I almost fell! What did you find?" Draco asked while steadying himself on his branch.

Elena proceeded to tell him about the little room under her rug.

"A crib? Why would there be a-" Elena had stopped listening.

Instead, she was clutching her head with her hands over her ears.

I want BLOOD!

"Do you hear that? That voice?" Elena asked Draco, who was giving her a curious look.

"What voice? There's no voice, Elena-"

"There is, I heard it! Wait, it's moving!" Elena jumped out of the tree and dashed across the courtyard, pressing her ear against the wall.

She ran down the hallway, and soon she got to a dark, lamp lit section of the castle. She walked slowly, listening to the whispers coming from the wall. Suddenly she stepped in water. Wondering, she looked down and saw that the floor was covered in about an inch of water. She heard footsteps splashing and looked up to see Hermione, Ron, and Harry running towards her.

"Elena, wha-" Hermione started, but Elena interrupted her.

"Did you guys hear the voice too?" Elena demanded, looking at each of their faces.

"There were no voices!" Hermione groaned, exasperated.

"I heard it, Elena." Harry said, looking at her.

"I-" Elena began, but Hermione, Ron, and Harry weren't looking at her.

They were looking at the wall behind Elena. Elena spun around quickly, and on the wall in blood read:

The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, beware.

Right in front of it, hanging from her tail by a lantern was Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat.

"Oh Merlin!" Elena gasped and she fell to the ground on her hands and knees, retching.

"Merlin's breast!" Ron groaned, and he turned away, face green.

Harry crouched down on his haunches and rubbed Elena's back, holding her hair back. When Elena had finished being sick, she stood up and wiped her mouth. Hermione waved her wand at were Elena had been sick, and the place was spotlessly clean. There was a sound of many, many people running in their direction. Suddenly the hallways were filled with students and teachers.

"Stand back! Stand Back!" Professor McGonagall called.

The students parted, and Professor McGonagall walked up to Elena, Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Elena, tears still leaking down her face, looked up at her.

"What happened here?" McGonagall asked slowly, pointing at the still suspended Mrs. Norris and drying blood.

Involuntarily, Elena looked to where she was pointing, and gagged again. Harry rubbed her back as Elena convulsed, but nothing came up.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware! Mudbloods, your next!" Called Draco, who stood to the left in the front of the crowd.

Elena gasped and glared at him as she saw Hermione visibly stiffen.

"Enough!" McGonagall said over the rising voices.

"What's going on?" Came the voice of Filch as he pushed his way through the crowd.

He yelped when he saw Mrs. Norris hanging from her tail. He turned to Harry.

"YOU KILLED HER!" He screamed, advancing on him. "YOU KILLED MY CAT!"

"NO! He didn't! We just found her like this! No!" Elena screamed back, getting between Filch and Harry.

Filch kept advancing, and right before Elena could be sandwiched between them, Ron grabbed her arm and yanked her out.

"Filch, get a bloody hold of yourself!" McGonagall reprimanded. "It seems that she's been petrified. We'll get Severus to start working on a potion to convert her immediately."

"Off to bed, all of you. Mr. Percy Weasley, please escort Miss Potter to her tower. It is your job as Gryffindor Prefect, after all."

Percy gave a curt nod, grabbed Elena by her elbow, and dragged her away.

"Percy, are you mad at me?" Elena asked, trying to keep up with Percy's long strides.

"No, Elena, just mildly frustrated in you. Do you know what Mum'll do to me if she finds out?"

"Why does your Mum care?" Elena asked defensively. "Also, I didn't do anything."

They arrived at Elena's tower entrance and Percy finally let go of Elena's elbow.

"My mom cares because you happen to by my little sisters best friend. That's why." Percy said and slammed the door in Elena's face.

Elena sighed and climbed up the stairs, changed into her pajamas, and went to bed.

She was NOT looking forward to tomorrow.


	19. Chapter 19

"Dueling club?" Ron asked, looking at the bulletin board with interest.

"That sounds fun!" Elena stated.

"No. You have no business to be dueling in a dueling club. It's dangerous, and look who it's run by. Snape." Replied Harry simply.

"You're not the boss of me, Harry." Elena replied arrogantly.

"Elena, did you use your gift yesterday?" Hermione asked, breaking the tension.

"Yeah. It plays muggle music! Isn't that cool? Not that crap like The Weird Sisters-"

"Elena! Language!" Harry and Hermione scolded.

"Sorry. Anyway, it doesn't play that stuff. Muggles have some very good music! And the iHome has a radio on it, and it plays different music, and if I like a song I hear, I can use a spell, and the music goes into the littler music player, the, umm, iPod, and I can listen to it anywhere with these things that go in your ear!" Elena said excitedly as she pulled out a jumble of cords that connected to the iPod.

"That's cool." A voice from behind the group said.

Elena spun around and spied Draco.

"What do you want?" Elena asked coldly, glaring into his icy gray-blue eyes.

"I know I got you mad yesterday when I made fun of the Chamber of Secrets." Draco muttered.

"You think that's why I'm mad?" Elena asked, aghast.

"Well, why are you mad, then?" Draco asked, confused.

"Draco, it's because you called one of my best friends a- a Mud- a really bad word!" Elena yelled.

"Oh."

"Oh? Oh? That's all you're gonna say? Not, I'm sorry, Hermione, that I called you a bad word?" Elena screeched at him, furious.

"I... Can't." Draco stated.

"Merlin!" Elena yelled, and threw her hands in the air. "Just go away, Malfoy!"

Hurt, Draco retreated, and soon he turned a corner and was no longer visible to Elena.

"Gaaahhh!" Elena yelled and slumped her shoulders. "What do you think the likelihood is that Draco will be in the dueling club?" She asked Hermione.

"Very, very likely."

"Good, Harry, I don't give Merlin's big broken toe what you say. I'm joining. I have a git to hex."

Later that night, Elena stumbled her way to the dungeons where the dueling club was being held. Slowly, she pushed open the big wooden doors and stepped in. People milled about, she quietly melted into the crowd. There was a booming from the front of the class.

"Line up, now. Girls on the left, boys on the right. Hurry up, you dunderheads!" Snape's voice was so loud and menacing that no one spoke as they scurried to their places. Elena smirked as she counted down the boy's line to where Draco stood. He was second, but he whispered to the boy in front of him and he quickly stood aside.

"Of course he wants to be first." Elena thought as she quickly made her way to the front of the line.

As Snape went over the rules, he scanned the crowd and caught Elena's eye. Not taking his eyes off hers, he calmly stated:

"And no one under the age of eleven may participate." No one moved, and Elena still held his gaze.

"Or twelve." Half the kids jerked and started to protest with,

"But your poster said anyone who's up for it!" and

"That's not fair!"

Snape sighed.

"Creevy, you're obviously not up to it." He growled at a shaking little boy.

The boy whimpered and dashed out of the room.

"Malfoy and Potter, come up here. You'll be the example."

Hearing Snape, Draco glanced towards Elena and did a double take.

"What, afraid to face a girl, Malfoy?" Elena hissed at him.

Draco didn't answer as they advanced to the stage.

"When I say three, you will duel using the spells Expelliarmus, Stupify, Confundo, or any other along those lines. Understood?" Snape asked, glaring at Elena.

Elena glared back and both Draco and she nodded.

"One."

Elena pulled out her wand from her sheath and Draco did the same.

"Two."

Elena bent her knees and got into a ready position.

"Three."

"Expelliarmus!" Elena cried.

"Expelliarmus!" Draco yelled back.

Their spells met halfway and sent off a cracking sizzling sound.

"Stupify!" Elena yelled.

"Protego!"

"Confundo!"

"Protego!"

'Stop going easy on me, Malfoy!" Elena challenged. "I came here to fight you, you bloody git! Fight!"

Suddenly Draco dropped his wand and Elena did the same.

"Heh... Heh... Heh..." Draco chuckled.

Then they were both on the floor, convulsed in laughter, snorting and giggling. Right when there seemed to be no end in sight, Snape growled an order.

"Enough!"

Elena and Draco were on their feet immediately, coughing and trying to keep their straight faces.

'You both preformed awfully, and in quite a disapproving manner." Snape said quietly, and his voice sounded furious.

Nonetheless, Elena snorted.

Elena and Draco walked out into the hall after being kicked out by a fuming Professor Snape.

"Bye, Draco." Elena said, waving.

"Bye, Elena." he replied and he walked towards the Slytherin common room, and Elena walked towards her tower, content in the day, and hoping that her mood wouldn't be ruined tomorrow.


	20. Chapter 20

"Oh Hermione, who did this to you?" Elena clutched Hermione's, still, cold hand with both of her own.

Hermione had been the third student petrified. The little boy with the camera, Colin Creevy, had been first, another boy, Justin, in Hufflepuff, Elena believed, had been second, as well as Sir Nicholas. Of course, they had all been after Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat. Elena sighed. Hermione had been petrified for a while now. Things seemed to have spiraled out of control since that first day of Hermione's petrification. Hagrid had been sent away, but Harry wouldn't tell Elena where, Professor Dumbledore wasn't present anymore, and rumor was he wasn't even Headmaster anymore. Harry was replacing the brown, wilted flowers by Hermione's bed with fresh, new ones while Ron sat dusting off Hermione's shoes.

Suddenly, Elena felt something in Hermione's hand that she hadn't noticed before.

"Harry, look at this." Elena said as she pulled the crumpled parchment out of Hermione's hand and smoothed it out.

She handed it to Harry and he looked it over.

"Ron! Look! It's a basilisk! Read this! That's what's in the Chamber of Secrets! That's what the spiders were afraid of!" Harry said excitedly as he shoved the parchment towards Ron.

"Spiders?" Elena asked questioningly, a bit lost in where this was going.

"Nothing." Harry said passively as he grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the Hospital Wing, Ron walking behind them, reading the paper.

They walked quickly down the hallway, Ron muttering to himself all the way.

"It says here that the basilisk's gaze is fatal. How come nobody's dead?" Ron asked, mystified.

"Because nobody actually looked it in the eyes." Harry muttered, looking out a window. Colin Creevy saw it through his camera lens, Justin saw it through Nearly-Headless Nick, and since Nearly-Headless Nick is already dead, he can't die again, Mrs. Norris saw the reflection in the water, and Hermione saw it through a mirror! It works."

Before either Ron or Elena could reply, there was an announcement in Professor McGonagall's voice.

"All students are to go to their dormitories immediately. All staff report to the second floor corridor."

"Let's go see what's going on!" Elena whispered, and they quickly and quietly made their way to the second floor corridor.

When they got there, Harry, who, for some reason, had his invisibility cloak with him, threw it over all three of them, and silently they watched the teachers slowly gather around a wall.

"It is as we feared," Professor McGonagall said. "A student has been taken by the monster, into the Chamber of Secrets."

There was an audible gasp from the assembled teachers.

"Wh-who was the student that was taken?" Asked someone.

"It was Ginerva Weasley. We've sent an owl to her family. We will have to close the school." Professor McGonagall replied grimly.

Elena gasped, and as the teachers turned and slowly left, Harry, Ron, and Elena could clearly see what was written on the wall in blood.

Her Skeleton Will Lie In The Chamber Forever


	21. Chapter 21

"Oh, Ginny!" Elena gasped.

Ron squeezed his eyes shut, silently muttering and shaking his head. Elena suddenly saw the ceiling getting farther and farther away from her.

"We need to talk to Myrtle." Harry stated firmly.

"What, why?" Ron asked.

"I need to ask her how she died."

The next second, Elena was being pulled down the passage way towards the girl's bathroom. When they got to the door, Harry pushed it open and all three of them stumbled inside. Harry pulled off the invisibility cloak and hung it on a bathroom stall.

"You can't be in here!" Elena whispered, grabbing Harry's sweater sleeve and Ron's arm.

"Don't worry; we've been in here a million times." Ron said, yanking his arm back.

"What for?" Elena squeaked.

"To brew polyjuice potion to spy on Malfoy." Ron answered simply.

Elena whirled on Harry, who was checking the bathroom stalls for Myrtle, the squeaky voiced, pig-tailed, round glasses girl that everyone knew haunted the second floor girl's lavatory.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Elena demanded angrily.

"Calm down! It was because we knew you would tell Malfoy." Harry reasoned, walking over to Elena and putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Elena hit his hand away.

"You never tell me anything! Brewing polyjuice potion to spy on one of my friends? Talking about mysterious spiders? And that night last year when I was supposed to have a sleep over with Hermione, and I arrive just to be told by Parvarti that she'd disappeared, as well as you two! So I go back to my tower and the next morning I'm told that all three of you are in the Hospital Wing! Then everyone is saying that you had a fight with someone in the bottom of the castle over a stone! I'm your sister, Harry! I deserve to know these things!" Elena yelled at Harry.

"Elena, right now isn't the time to be lecturing me about anything. We have to find Ginny. I'll tell you everything afterwards." And with that, Harry turned around and continued searching for Myrtle.

Elena sat down against a wall and leaned her head back, closing her eyes.

"There might not be an afterwards, Harry." She thought. "One of us may not come back from the Chamber..."

"This is it." Harry said excitedly, which was followed shortly by peals of squeaky laughter from Myrtle.

Elena kept her eyes closed as she heard a grinding noise. When the noise stopped, she cracked her eyes open to see a hole in the floor where one of the sinks had been.

"Harry, what did you do!" Elena gasped, looking at the hole in amazement.

"I think I just opened the Chamber of Secrets." Harry replied in a whisper.

"Okay, Ron, you stay here. Elena," Harry began, but Elena cut him off.

"Harry, I'm coming with you." She stated confidently and unwavering.

"Fine. Let's go." Harry mumbled a few curses under his breath, and then walked over to where Elena was sitting.

He grabbed her outstretched hands and pulled her up, and together they walked back to the hole in the floor. There was a high pitched giggle.

"Harry, if you die down there, you're welcome to share my toilet." Myrtle giggled again, and did a little finger wave.

"Right. Thanks." Harry muttered and he jumped, Elena following after him.

"OOF!" Elena gasped as she fell to a heap on the ground.

"Elena, are you alright?" Harry asked concern in his voice.

"I'm fine." Elena muttered, straightening up and brushing herself off.

"Let's go." Harry said, and together they stumbled forward, tripping over the occasional rock that decided to trip them.

Finally they got to a large, circular doorway that looked incredibly similar to a vault entrance. Multiple snakes that were structured out of stone were lying as if sleeping in an almost complete circle. Harry hissed something, and Elena looked at him curiously, opening her mouth to ask a question, but before she could ask, there was a clanking sound. She turned to see the door slowly swing open. They stepped through and climbed down a small, rusty ladder. They turned to see a stretch of stone flooring that spread out and formed a half circle around a large pool of water. On either side of the stretch of floor was deep water with snake head statues every few feet. In the center of the pool was a giant statue of a face with a long, flowing beard. At the edge of the water was a figure lying on their back, seemingly unconscious.


	22. Chapter 22

"Ginny!" Both Harry and Elena cried, and they dashed towards her, occasionally slipping on the wet floor.

They plunked down to their knees next to her still body. Elena heard Harry's wand skitter across the floor, but thought nothing of it as she grabbed Ginny's wrist, looking for a pulse.

"Harry, she's so cold!" Elena gasped. "Ginny! Ginny! Wake up!" Elena cried, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.

She was suddenly aware of a person standing next to her. She looked up quickly. She was getting the same feeling she had when she was about to be attacked on the Hogwarts Express.

"She won't wake." The boy standing above her said calmly.

The boy looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, with wavy brown hair and piercing brown eyes.

"Tom?" Harry asked curiously. "Is she…?"

"She's not dead." The boy, Tom, said.

"What'd you do to her?" Elena asked sharply, standing up to try to look more menacing, when in truth she only came up to a little below his shoulders. The boy smiled.

"So. You are the Potters." He said, as he elegantly stooped down and picked up Harry's wand.

"Give me my wand, Tom." Harry said, watching him warily.

Suddenly, both Harry and Tom started hissing. They seemed to be having a conversation in a different language, and they seemed to be getting angrier and angrier. Elena, knowing that all of Tom's attention was currently on Harry, so she slowly made her way so she stood about a yard away from Tom's backside. Taking a deep breath, she bent her head low and lunged, aiming to knock Tom off balance and thus give Harry time to retrieve his wand. When she was barely a second from making contact with Tom's back, he spun around impossibly fast, grabbing her wrists with one hand, and snaking his arm around her waist with his other. Then, again impossibly fast, he spun back around, and Elena found herself pinned against Tom's chest, arms at her sides, unable to move. She felt the tip of Harry's wand being held against the underside of her chin.

Elena gasped. One second she was running at Tom's back, the next she was in this predicament.

"Well, what you've done will all be in vain, Tom." Harry stated. "In a few hours the Mandrake potion will be ready and everyone petrified will be revived."

Tom chuckled.

"Didn't I just tell you, Harry? Killing Mudbloods no longer matters to me. Ever since you wrote in that diary, my main focus has been you. And now, I've got you both, which is even better than I hoped for."

Tom began hissing again, and a grinding noise started, like stone rubbing against stone, and all three of them turned to see the mouth of the statue slowly open. Everything was silent for a few brief moments, and then there was a monstrous hiss from deep within the mouth. A huge, black, enormous snake slithered out from inside the mouth. It stopped, turning its gargantuan head to face Tom.

"Kill him." Tom demanded, looking at the snake.

"HARRY!" Elena screamed, "RUN!"

Tom slapped his hand onto Elena's mouth, and despite Elena's struggles, she couldn't get it off. Before Harry could respond, a large, yellow and orange bird swooped through the air, carrying a brown leather package.

"Fawkes!" Harry cried, looking up at the bird gratefully.

The bird dropped the brown leather package into Harry's eager hands and Harry unrolled it eagerly. It was the Sorting Hat, and from the look on Harry's face, there was nothing in it. There was a screech from the bird which Harry had called Fawkes, and using this momentary distraction, Elena bit down hard on Tom's hand. Tom cried out in pain, and shoved her to the ground. Elena hit the stone floor hard, and Elena closed her eyes against the rush of pain. Distantly, she heard a screeching from Fawkes and a shout of anger from Tom.

"Your bird may have blinded the basilisk, but it can still hear you!" Elena heard Tom cry out.

Elena, fighting against the pounding pain, slowly stood up, and saw the basilisk advancing on Harry. It lunged, missing Harry by inches, and raised its head to strike again.

"Harry!" Elena screamed, and she dashed towards the basilisk, bending down and picking up a loose stone from the floor as she ran.

She raised her arm and flung the rock at the basilisk's head. She missed, of course, but the stone hit the basilisk about halfway down its neck, and it swung its gargantuan head around in the general direction of Elena. She gasped when, instead of being instantly killed by the eyes of the Basilisk, she looked into bloody eye sockets. Elena stopped running, but bent down and picked up another rock. She heard pounding footsteps behind her as she raised her arm again, but before she could let the rock fly, she was tackled around the middle and she fell. As she fell, she twisted around so she was on her back. She kept her head from hitting the stone floor, and then she looked up into the furiously gleaming eyes of Tom.

"Get-off-me-you-git!" Elena cried, and using the rock that was still in her hand, she began beating his head, back, shoulders, and anywhere she could reach. She bared her teeth and began snapping at his face. She turned her head just in time to see the tail of the basilisk disappear around the corner which led into one of the surrounding pipes. She couldn't see Harry anywhere. She shrieked as Tom grabbed her hair and pulled it back in an attempt to keep her teeth at bay. Elena raised her knee hard and fast between Tom's legs in a last, desperate attempt to escape. Tom gave a grunt of pain and rolled off her. Elena jumped up as fast as she could and sprinted towards the place where she had just seen the basilisk disappear.

"CRUCIO!" Elena heard Tom scream.

Elena had never felt pain that intense in her entire life. She didn't notice her feet stumbling over each other, or feel herself falling to the ground once again. All she felt were what felt like knifes stabbing her repeatedly on every single surface of her body. She felt like giant hammers were smashing her bones into powder. She felt like someone was pouring boiling wax on her. She screamed and screamed. Every scream felt like someone was slicing the inside of her throat with a razor, but she couldn't stop.

Suddenly, the pain stopped. Elena continued to spasm on the ground, shivering and sobbing, curling herself up into a fetal position. She heard the tap tap tap of Tom getting closer and closer. He stood above her, and Elena stared at the tips of his shiny black shoes. He bent down into a crouch, resting one elbow on his knee, and with his other hand, he grabbed a handful of Elena's hair and yanked up so that Elena could look up into his eyes, and she saw the malicious gleam as he smiled threateningly down at her.

"Didn't like that, did you?" He asked, smirking.

Elena closed her eyes, hoping to shut him out.

"Don't you dare ignore me!" Tom threatened, pulling her up so she was in a sitting position, and slapped her hard across the face.

"Who are you?"" Elena whispered.

Raising Harry's wand, Tom turned, and began writing in the air. The letters stayed, hovering in the air. They read

Tom Marvolo Riddle

Then, with a flick of his wand, the letters began to rearrange themselves.

I am Lord Voldemort

Elena gasped little breaths, in and out. The letters carved into her bag. Watching these letters rearrange themselves had made everything fall into place.

TMROEDLOV OT GLNOBE OYU

YOU BELONG TO VOLDEMORT

"Little Elena Potter. The big mistake, the accident, so I've heard. Crying isn't very brave. I thought you were a Gryffindor." Tom teased.

Elena said nothing.

Tom laughed again, stood up, and kicked her back to the ground so hard she thought her ribs had cracked.

"Elena!" Came a shout from across the room.

Elena jerked up, and saw Harry running towards her. Before Harry could reach her however, the basilisk burst from the deep water, sending a wave of water over Elena, leaving her soaked, shivering even more, and coughing, water streaming out of her mouth, which hurt incredibly bad over her bloody mouth. The basilisk lunged at Harry once again. Elena looked around desperately for another rock, but her eyes fell on the crumpled sorting hat lying a little to her right. Something inside the creased fabric shimmered, like a reflection, and then it suddenly took the shape of a large, silver sword with a brilliant red stone on the handle. Elena, gasping in pain, slowly crawled over to the hat and reached in, grasping the shining handle and pulling it out.

"Harry!" Elena whispered hoarsely, trying to stand up.

He didn't seem to hear her.

"HARRY!" Elena screamed as she finally regained her feet.

Harry glanced at her quickly. When he saw the sword, he sprinted towards her, but Tom had seen it as well, and he also ran towards her. Elena gasped as she felt Tom tackle her to the ground once again. He clawed at the hand holding the heavy sword, but Elena slid it across the floor so it skidded to where Harry was. Tom cried out in fury and stood up, dragging the now defenseless Elena up to a standing position and holding a hand around her neck. Harry had turned just as the basilisk was about to strike again and Harry raised the sword above his head with his right arm.

Suddenly, Elena could no longer see Harry. It was as if the basilisk had swallowed him whole. There was a loud hiss from the basilisk, and then its head toppled to the side, the sword sticking out of the top of it. Harry was then visible, clutching his right arm. Elena saw rivulets of bright blood flowing down Harry's arm starting from where a large fang protruded out of it. He stumbled forward but fell to his knees near Ginny's lifeless body.

"The venom of the basilisk works amazingly quickly, doesn't it, Harry Potter?" Tom spat, a triumphant grin on his face.

Harry glowered up at him, and slowly, with his left hand, snatched a leather bound book from Ginny's arms.

"What? What are you doing?" Tom asked, suddenly in a panic.

Harry did not reply. He grasped the fang that was in his arm and yanked it out, wincing as he did so. Then, to Elena's bewilderment, he flipped the book open. There was no writing on any of the pages, and Elena concluded that it had to be a diary of some kind.

"No! Stop!" Tom cried, tightening his grip on Elena's neck so much that Elena began to gag and gasp and feel light headed.

Harry brought the fang down and stabbed the diary with it. Ink that seemed to come from nowhere spurted out like black blood, and Harry stabbed it again and again, over and over. Elena felt Tom flinch from behind her, then his grip tightened impossibly tight, so tight she thought her neck would snap, and there was a flash of light that was so bright it caused Elena to close her eyes. Suddenly there was a loud crack and Tom seemed to shatter in a giant explosion of light. Instantly the grip on Elena was gone, and she felt herself crash down to the ground.

Her head pounded, and she heard Harry shout. She thought she heard the tinkling sound of Ginny's voice as well. She was uncomfortable, lying on the wet, cold, stone floor underneath her and her left arm twisted at an unnatural angle by her side, the pain was a dull throb, that got duller and duller until it completely ebbed away and she felt numb. She opened her eyes slightly, but closed them immediately, and she succumbed to the darkness.


	23. Chapter 23

She felt like she was floating between white clouds and gray sky, always in an irritating daze that caused confusing visions and fuzzy sounding voices. It was dreamlike, and as she floated through the puffy clouds, she saw the face of Tom form. She turned to run, but she felt that her legs were in molasses, and she couldn't run fast at all.

"Crucio!" The face of Tom cried, sharp and clears in her mind.

There was so much pain, and she tried to scream, but all that came out was a harsh whisper. She felt herself falling, and the sky became darker and darker until it was black as she twisted in the air. The clouds seemed to tangle around her arms and legs. Then there were whispers in the darkness that became louder and clearer as they called

"Elena! Shhh, Elena! You'll be alright! You're safe now!"

Elena's eyes popped open. She wasn't in the sky. She was on a comfortable bed in the Hospital Wing. Her sheets and blankets were tangled around her, and she was breathing heavily.

"Harry?" Elena croaked, and a cup of pumpkin juice with a straw was placed to her lips and she drank greedily.

"Whoa, not so much, or you'll get sick and hurl all that perfectly good pumpkin juice right back up." Said a joking voice to her left.

She swiveled her head around and was greeted with a shock of ginger hair.

"Fred? George?" Elena cried, almost falling out of the bed in her joy to see them.

"Blimey, Elena, I didn't think you'd be that excited to see us!" Fred said, shaking his head.

Elena glanced around at the other faces that were sitting around the bed. She saw Harry, Ron, Fred, Ginny, Percy, Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, and as Elena looked to her left, she had yet another shock.

"Hermione!" Elena shrieked, swiveling around in her bed so she was facing Hermione. "Oh, Hermione! You're awake! I'm so happy! I was so upset when you were petrified! I was so scared! But then I found that paper in your hand, and Harry figured it out,"

There was a harrumph from Ron.

"And Ron, too!" Elena added quickly, nodding at Ron.

Hermione was about to respond, but there was a tap, tap, tap of high heeled boots on the hard floor and Professor Dumbledore arrived in his brilliant flowing light lavender robes.

"It is very nice indeed to see that you have awoken, Elena." He said, smiling down at Elena, who smiled back up at him. "And now, I believe that it is time for all visitors to depart. I don't believe you want Madame Pomfrey in here lecturing about patients only allowed to have six visitors at once." One by one, everybody left. Everybody, that is, except for Dumbledore.

"I am assuming you would like to know what happened after you so unfortunately lost consciousness." Dumbledore said gently, sitting down on the end of her bed.

Elena nodded her mouth suddenly dry as cotton.

"Yes, well. You see, Fawkes, I believe you had the joy of seeing him in the Chamber? Yes? Good. Well, Fawkes is a phoenix, and phoenix tears heal wounds. After he healed Harry's wound, Miss Weasley and your brother picked you up, and Fawkes, who's is also known for their amazing strength, lifted you all out, where you were then transported to the hospital wing."

Elena tried to respond, but her mouth was still dry. Dumbledore handed her the pumpkin juice, and after a long swig, she was able to respond.

"Sir," Elena began. "The boy down there, Tom? He… He said he was…" Here Elena lowered her voice to a whisper. "He said that he was Lord Voldemort."

"Yes, dear child, I'm afraid that that is an accurate statement." Dumbledore said soothingly.

"Sir," Elena closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. "Sir, you know that incident on the train at the start of first term?"

Dumbledore nodded, giving Elena a reassuring look and patting her hand.

"When Draco gave me my bags, there were letters engraved into the fabric that hadn't been there before… And when Tom, er, You-Know- Who, told me who he was, he changed his name around, and, well, I… I figured out what the letters said…" Elena gulped, holding back tears that threatened to spill. "And I don't know what they mean and they scare me." Elena let out in one breath.

"What did these letters say?" Dumbledore asked encouragingly.

"You belong to Voldemort…" Elena whispered.

Dumbledore's face looked stunned for only half a second, then he instantly composed himself.

"Well, don't trouble yourself with it now." Dumbledore said, patting her on the head.

There was another sound right outside the Hospital Wing's doors and in came Professor Snape, his black cloak billowing out behind him as he strode over to the bed that Elena occupied.

"What is going on in here?" He asked in his usual, slow, condescending voice as he glowered down at Elena. "I was wondering if I may have a word with Miss Potter?"

"Well, I don't see why not." Dumbledore said, turning to look at Elena.

Elena looked at Dumbledore, then at Professor Snape, then back to Dumbledore.

Elena, was really beginning to feel drowsy now. She heard Dumbledore and Snape murmuring in low voices, but she really didn't understand what they were saying.

"Anyhow, it's nice of you to stop in, Severus. Wasn't that kind of him, Elena?" Dumbledore asked, turning towards Elena.

What he got in response was a slow exhale of breath, and a low muttering as Elena mumbled in her sleep.

"I expect that she would be tired after such a traumatic experience." Dumbledore said, standing up and covering Elena with the blankets.

"Do you know what any of her injuries were?" Asked Snape, looking concerned.

"A major concussion on the back of her head, we suspect it's from either a massive blow to the head, or, of course, Tom Riddle may have thrown her to the ground at some point. But no worries, Severus," Dumbledore said hastily. "It was easily fixed by Madame Pomfrey."

"Was there anything worse than that, or was that all she endured?" Snape asked, his face a mask of boredom.

"Well, keep in mind that all the physical damage she endured was easily healed. She did have her left arm broken, most likely from impact to the ground at high speed. A few broken ribs, broken toes. She bit through her tongue, the poor child, but by that time I doubt she felt a minor wound like that. Massive amount of bruises, but personally I'm assuming that many of those bruises are from Tom himself. If you'll come over here," Dumbledore muttered, walking to the left side of Elena's bed and picking up one of Elena's wrists delicately. "See here? This bruise looks very much like a hand was wrapped around it very hard. Almost hard enough to break the bone." Dumbledore sighed heavily. "She didn't have a good time down there, Severus."

"Headmaster, I noticed that you said that the physical damage was healed. Was that meant to imply that there was…?" Snape trailed off, looking down at Elena's sleeping face.

"Harry did mention that she was muttering about knives, razors, and hammers while she was asleep. Regrettably, I am forced to believe that she may have been tortured mentally as well, as there was no damage caused by knives, razors, or hammers."

"So you think she was," Snape began, but Dumbledore cut him off.

"Yes, Severus, I do believe that she was a victim of the Cruciatus Curse. Such an unfortunate curse to fall victim to. And at such a young age, as well." Dumbledore clicked his tongue, making a tut, tut noise and shaking his head. "Well, Severus, I believe we should leave her be." He swished his wand, and the lights dimmed. He and Snape walked out of the Hospital Wing, and the door slammed shut.


	24. Chapter 24

Elena was sitting on the hospital bed, sulking. She had just been informed by Madame Pomfrey that she was going to be staying another day, so that she could be sure that Elena was going to be alright. Elena had her muggle headphones in, and was listening to the iPod that someone, no one knew who, had given her for her birthday. She mouthed the words to the song and swayed back and forth. She didn't notice the visitor that came and sat next to her bed.

"Elena?" The boy asked, leaning over and trying to get her attention. "Elena?"

"Huh?" Elena looked up, startled.

"Well, hello to you, too." The boy said, and grinned.

"Draco!" Elena turned off her iPod and turned so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed, cross-legged, and her elbows on her knees.

"Are you allowed to be sitting like that?" Draco asked, a little shocked at how hyper Elena was. "I mean, you're still recovering."

"Recovering? Psh, whatever! I'm ready to get up and walk around, but Madame Pomfrey says I have to stay here one more day, just in case." Elena rolled her eyes.

"So... What was it like? The curse?" Draco didn't look into Elena's Eyes when he asked this.

"I… How did… Who told you?" Elena mumbled, looking down.

"Everyone knows." Draco said bluntly.

"Oh.."

"Well, anyway," Draco said, changing the subject. "I got you this. It came as a pair and I thought they were cool and I totally thought you might like it. The other is by my bed. Now we can talk to each other." He said as he handed her a rectangular device with an antenna sticking out of the top. "Sometimes muggles have cool inventions. But don't tell anyone, or I'll be in so much trouble with my father!"

Elena studied the device in her hands.

"What is it?" She asked after she had examined every inch of it.

"Well, the muggles call them Walkie Talkies." Draco replied. "Here, you have to change them to a certain station, then…" he reached for Elena's and pressed a button on the side, then handed it back. "There. Now tonight we can talk even if we're not in the same room. Cool, huh?" Draco said.

"Whoa! Yeah, this is very cool! Thanks, Draco!" Elena said sincerely, looking down at the little device.

They continued to talk until Madame Pomfrey came and said that visiting hours were over and Draco had to go.

When Elena thought that she had given him enough time to get to his dormitory, she pressed the little button. There was a crackling sound, and Elena raised the device to her mouth.

"Draco?" She whispered into the box, feeling more than a little ridiculous.

There was another crackling sound and then Draco's voice.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Wow. These things are so cool!" Elena exclaimed.

"Yeah."

Draco and Elena talked way into the night, and finally Elena said that they both had to go to sleep, or they would both fall asleep in class the next day. Draco agreed, and they said goodnight.

Elena turned over and over and thrashed around in a restless sleep. She saw Tom Riddle screaming Crucio, and she felt his hand in his hair as he yanked her head upward so she could look in his gleaming eyes. She felt the air leave her chest as he kicked her in the stomach, and she felt her wrists begin to numb as he kept a tight hold on them. She felt the pain of the Cruciatus curse, and she saw Harry with the fang in his arm, blood flowing down his arm like small, fast moving rivers. She heard Tom hissing in her ear the words 'Kill him', and she saw the basilisk as it raised its head to strike. She must have been screaming, because she heard Madame Pomfrey telling her that it was just a dream.

Early the next morning, Elena was released from the Hospital Wing with the orders to no over excitement or physical activity. She trudged up to her tower, and Nightshade came swooping down and landed on Elena's outstretched arm. She gave Elena an affectionate nip on the fingers, and went back to sit on her perch. Elena walked over to the extra set of drawers, the one filled with jars and vials in the corner, and she took out her wand, which had been returned to her by Harry that morning. She tapped her temple, and pulled out memory after memory, writing the date on them and putting them back in the drawers. When she was finally finished, she slid her wand into her leather arm sheath and pulled on a white button up long sleeved shirt, a gray vest with yellow and red trim around the bottom, sleeves, and around the neckline. She yanked on her black pleated skirt, white knee socks, and black trainers. She grabbed her book bag, and, because she had no idea what classes she had that day, she just put all of her books into the bag, and after grabbing her red and yellow striped tie, her black school robe with her house crest on the left chest, she lugged everything down the stairs and out the door.

She emerged behind the teachers table, and she saw that there were already teachers sitting there, eating silently. She quietly scurried down the stairs on the side and sat down at the Gryffindor table. Ginny arrived; rubbing her eyes, and soon after came Fred and George, surprisingly awake, laughing and shoving each other. Then came Hermione, her head stuck in a book, and then Harry, pulling a groggy Ron. Elena grabbed a piece of toast, spread it with jam, and making sure no one was going to steal it from her, she opened her mouth to take a big bite. Suddenly the daily Prophet landed right next to her. She jumped and pulled her toast out of the way, glaring at the Prophet. The owls started swooping in rapidly then, to give people mail and to give other people their daily Prophets. Nightshade landed in front of Elena, a small package tied to her leg. Elena set down her toast carefully, and untied the package. After untying the package, Elena reached for her toast again but found that it was not in the place she had left it. She looked up accusingly at Fred, who was sitting across from her, but contented hoot brought her attention back to Nightshade, who had Elena's toast clutched in her beak, and was facing Hedwig, Harry's owl, who was pecking happily at the toast in in Nightshade's mouth.

"GAH! NIGHTSHADE!" Elena groaned, shooing Nightshade away, the toast still in her mouth. "And you," Elena cried, turning on Hedwig. "You're Nightshade's accomplice! Shoo, shoo!" Hedwig nipped Harry's fingers affectionately, then flapped lazily away after Nightshade.

Elena turned grumpily and grabbed another piece of toast, jammed it, and ate it in four bites, glancing around to make sure no one else would steal her toast.

"So," Elena began after she had finished her toast and had taken a sip of pumpkin juice to wash it down. "Harry, what class do we have first?"

"You're not going to like my answer." Harry answered back sympathetically.

"Oh? Why not?"

"Well, it starts with the letter P…"

"You're kidding."

"No, sorry, Elena, but I'm not."

Elena groaned. Of course her first class after being rescued from the Chamber of Secrets would be Potions with Professor Snape.

"Harry, would you be mad if I skipped?"

"No." Harry answered, but a loud thud brought everyone's attention to Hermione, who had slammed her book against the table and was glaring at Harry viciously. "I mean, to further your education and extend your learning abilities, I require that you attend every class you possibly can. Yes, I would be very upset if you skipped Potions class."

"Thanks a lot, Hermione…" Elena muttered as she picked up her heavy book bag. "Anyways, I'm going to go a bit early, to see what I've missed and stuff."

With that, Elena slung her heavy book bag over her shoulder and trotted off towards the dungeons, where Snape held his classes.


	25. Chapter 25

Elena was walking down the spiral staircase that leads to Snape's classroom, but when she reached the bottom, she found the heavy wooden doors closed. She was about to knock, but the sound of raised voices made her stop when her clenched fist was inches from the door, she took a step closer and pressed her ear against it, straining to hear what was being said.

"-understand what you're trying to get at, Headmaster. Do you mean to say that she's in danger?" Came Snape's slow drawl.

"I'm not trying to say that, Severus. I'm merely saying that teachers may need to take a bit of a precaution when around her." Dumbledore answered.

"I still don't understand what the point of this visit was, Headmaster."

"She had mentioned something about a prophecy, and," here Dumbledore paused, and then went on. "And I believe that it's the prophecy that was formed when… When you and… You understand what I'm trying to say. It was not expected, but because of it, her life has been just a very important piece of Voldemort's game."

"Sir, her life is not a game." Snape said, sounding pained.

"Of course not, Severus. But according to Voldemort, her life is not expendable, and he will do everything in his power to get ahold of her, and then use her against us. I ask you to merely keep all of her essays, and anything, including potions, which she creates. You know what the prophecy says, Severus, but most unfortunately, the prophetess failed to mention what exactly it was she creates. I'm asking all of the professors at this school the same thing. Do not feel singled out, Severus."

"You're asking every Professor? What excuse or lie are you telling them, then?"

"I'm telling them that I believe she will be a great witch, which, of course, is not a lie, nor an excuse. I think she may want to have a recollection of the things she wrote and created at her years here at Hogwarts. However, I think Minerva is seeing through my little façade. Well, I think I have intruded on your hospitality enough for today, Severus. Farewell."

Elena heard footsteps approaching the door she was pressing her ear against, and she backed up quickly. The door flew open and out stepped Dumbledore, in brilliant baby blue robes. He looked down at Elena, his blue eyes sparkling.

"Hello, Elena." Dumbledore said nonplussed.

"He- Hello, Sir." Elena stuttered, looking down at her shoes.

"Good day, then." Dumbledore said, and he brushed by her, disappearing around a bend in the stairs.

Elena could see Professor Snape's back, which was facing her, as he took deep breaths. Silently she walked into the classroom, set her book bag down carefully, and sat in her seat. She pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill and ink, and then, closing her eyes, she waited patiently for Professor Snape to acknowledge her.

"Miss Potter," Snape began,and Elena popped her eyes open. "How much of that conversation did you hear?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Professor. I just arrived." Elena replied, glancing down.

"It does no good to lie to a professor, Miss Potter." Snape said, causing Elena's face to heat up.

"I... Well, see... I,"

"Miss Potter, I will ask one last time. How much of that conversation did you hear?"

"Not much! Honest! I came down the stairs only a couple of minutes ago! Honest!"

"It was a private conversation between the Headmaster and I."

"I understand, Professor."

Snape sighed and turned to shuffle papers on his desk. Elena turned to the sound of footsteps and saw the red headed girl, Lacey Brown, skip down the isle. She was Lavender Brown's cousin, and the resemblance was uncanny, with their light red hair and love of ribbons and bows. When Lacey skipped by Elena, Elena waved slightly, and watched as Lacey plunked into a seat in front of her. Elena was immediately covered in a thin layer of bright pink sparkly dust. Lacey always covered her notebooks and quills with pink sparkles.

"Hello, Professor Snape!" Lacey crowed, smiling and waving, unfazed by Snape's murderous glare.

Snape sighed, stood, and strode to his back room, only to return a moment later with a large , black, feather duster. He took large strides to stand in front of Lacey's desk, where she was now doodling with pink ink on a piece of spare parchment. He set the duster with a snap on Lacey's desk, and a cloud of pink sparkles flew up into his face and hair. He slid the duster forward so it was right under Lacey's nose, then he spun around and strode back to his back room, where Elena assumed he was going to make his face sparkle free.

Soon the rest of the class filed in and sat at their desks, Hermione on her right, Ron on her left with Harry next to him. As Snape went on about shrinking solutions, Elena was the only on paying attention. Ron was nodding off, and Hermione had started to use the tip of her quill to make pictures of snitches and books in the pink dust.

Finally class was over, and Snape didn't hold Elena after class like she had expected. Only Lacey had to stay after to clean up her sparkles. Elena went from class to class, and that night, fell into a dreamless sleep.


	26. Chapter 26

The rest of that year seemed to pass in a blur. To Elena's frazzled mind, the attack seemed to have been only yesterday, though those yesterdays piled up to create weeks and months, and before long, she found herself stepping off the train at Kings Cross station. The Dursley's were waiting right outside the barrier to snatch the Potters away into another miserable summer.

Year Three

Elena was staring into Nightshade's big, black eyes. "Give it up, Nightshade, your eyes are watering..." Nightshade cooed in protest and seemed to stare harder, leaning in.

Elena was sprawled lazily across Harry's bed, a piece of toast next to her. She heard her brother enter and walk over to her. "What are you doing?" He asked curiously, reaching for the toast. Elena growled and smacked his hand without breaking eye contact with the bird.

"Having a staring contest."

"With Nightshade?" Harry asked, incredulous, rubbing the back of his spurned hand. "How come?"

Elena sighed, as if Harry was being an idiot. "How am I supposed to stare down the wicked bat beast of potions class, if I can't stare down an owl?"

"The wicked bat beast? Snape?"

"Yep! I swear that guy must put a spell on his eyes or something." She clapped her hands in triumph as Nightshade blinked quickly. "I saw that! I WIN!" Harry rolled his eyes as Elena ripped off a hunk of toast and threw some into the cage for each bird.

"Harry! Harry! HARRY! get the door!" Aunt Petunia yelled from the kitchen, over the intermittent and increasingly irritating sound of the doorbell. Harry went to the door and opened it.

A particularly large woman pushed past him, causing a great wet spot to appear on his chest. The woman sighed with relief to be out of the rain, and the small brown bull dog she had with her pulled her into the kitchen where it began to jump up on Aunt Petunia's legs and bark. She squealed in fright.

"Uncle Vernon, will you sign this?" Harry asked, pulling out a wad of papers and thrusting them in the man's face.

Uncle Vernon looked down at them boredly. "Why? What is it?" he asked, like he didn't really care to know the answer.

"Just school stuff. Elena has one too-"

"Hmm, maybe later. if you behave yourself." Uncle Vernon said briskly, lumbering into the dining room after his sister, Marge.

Harry sighed in irritation, following behind his Uncle. "I will, if she does."

Everyone in the room turned to look at him with distain, just as Elena came running down the stairs. "Hey Harry, is Aunt Marge here-" She trailed off, and began to try and walk backwards up the stairs, as if trying to rewind time.

"Oh. You're still here, are you?" Aunt Marge asked rudely.

Harry stared hard at the woman. "Yes."

"Don't say yes in that..ungrateful way." The large woman handed Petunia the dog leash. "It was good of my brother to take you." She leaned in and spoke quietly, but loud enough for Harry to hear her, "It would've been straight to an orphanage if he had been left on my doorstep."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Came a laugh from the living room, where Dudley was watching an old cartoon. Aunt Marge lifted her hands and went to embrace him.

"OH IS THAT MY DUDLEYPOO?! OH I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" She reached over the back of the chair hugged the boy to her, smothering him with kisses. Elena grimaced and poked Harry in the side.

"After seeing that, I'm almost glad she hates me.." She whispered, and Harry smiled a bit. Uncle Vernon saw the smile and took it as a smirk.

"Take Marge's suitcase upstairs!" he ordered, waving his hands.

Harry looked his uncle in the eye defiantly, then remembered the papers that he and Elena needed him to sign, "Mkay."

It took both Elena and Harry to wrestle the huge suitcase up the stairs. "Merlin's beard, what does she had in here? An Elephant?" Elena groaned as they wheeled it into the room Marge would be staying in.

"She's an elephant herself, so, yeah, it's probably her husband!" Harry said, kicking the door shut. "Let's go back downstairs."

Marge snapped her fingers at Elena, who was clearing away plates. She pointed down at her feet, where her dog, Ripper, was licking a plate clean. Elena bent to grab it, but the dog growled at her. Elena flinched back, then reached out quickly and grabbed the plate from under the startled dog's nose. She handed the pile of plates to Harry, who was loading them into a dishwasher.

"That's so gross.." she whispered, looking over to where Aunt Marge was allowing Ripper to slurp from her cup of wine. Harry smirked.

"What are you two smirking at?" the fat woman snapped, looking up. Elena shrugged and Harry shook his head. "Where did you send the brats again?" Marge asked Uncle Vernon.

"Uh- an institute. A fine one for helpless cases.."

"Hmm, do they use a cane at this institute, boy?" Harry looked over at Vernon, who raised an eyebrow in a definite 'say what she wants to hear' way.

"Wha? Oh yeah... I've been beaten, loads of times." he smiled sweetly. Marge looked to Elena for confirmation.

"Yeah, it's pretty brutal. They use bricks, too, if someone's been especially bad." She smiled as well, as if being beaten with bricks and canes and electroshock therapy was something she enjoyed.

"Hmph. Excellent. I won't have this wishy washy business about not beating people who deserve it."

Harry walked across the kitchen to throw something into the garbage can, while Elena turned away from the table and smiled in an 'jeez, that woman is an idiot' way.

"You mustn't blame yourself for how those one's turned out, Vernon." The woman continued. "It's all about blood. Bad blood." The smile slipped from Elena's face, and she saw Harry's back begin to tremble. "What was it their father did again, Petunia?"

"Nothing," She responded hastily. "H-he didn't work, he was unemployed."

"Ha, and a drunk too, no doubt-"

"That's a lie."

All turned to looked over at Elena, who had spoken. She whipped around, her blonde hair, which had been tied back in a short braid, flew out and hit Harry, who had stepped up behind her, in the nose. He ignored it, even though it made his eyes water.

"My dad WASN'T a drunk!" she snapped. The wine glass in Marge's hand exploded into thousands of little pieces. Marge yelled pulled her hand away while Petunia shrieked. To everyone's surprise, Marge laughed.

"Don't worry, don't fuss, Petunia," She chortled, "I have a very firm grip."

"I think it's time," Vernon stared at the girl, "For you to go to bed."

Marge held up a hand. "Don't worry Vernon." She snapped her fingers in Elena's direction. "You, clean it up." Elena snatched a dish rag angrily and began to mop up the spilled wine. "Actually," Marge began as Elena walked away. "It has nothing to do with the father, it's all to do with the mother, you see it all the times with dogs. If there's something wrong with the bitch, there's something wrong with the pup."

"SHUT UP!" Elena shouted. Harry gripped his little sister's arm to keep her from pouncing on the woman. "SHUT UP!"

Marge looked at her and smirked. Lights in the house began to flicker, and a strong breeze swept through the room, causing Elena's hair to fly about her. "Right," Marge said, lifting a finger and pointing it at Elena, "Let me tell you-"

She paused, watching the end of her finger with growing horror. It had begun to expand! growing rapidly, like a growth, until it was the size of a small clementine. Suddenly her entire body began to grow, her clothes stretching and breaking. A button popped, and it flew across the room.

"Vernon? Vernon do something!" She yelled, her body had grown so large that the chair was stuck to her bottom.

Elena, with a sick amusement, watched as she began to float into the air.

Vernon stood to grab his sister's hand, but Ripper ran across the room and bit his ankle. He cried out, "RIPPER LET GO OF ME!"

Marges necklace exploded, sending ugly orange beads across the table as she continued to expand. The chair fell apart and fell to the ground, and another button exploded through the air and hit Dudley between the eyes. His eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed.

"AAAAHHHHH!" cried Marge as she hit the ceiling. She summersaulted in the air and out the door, which had been left open to let in the cool night air.

Vernon limped out and grabbed her hands as she floated higher and higher into the sky. "I've got you Marge!"

But he didn't have her, for he was pulled into the air as well.

Harry grabbed his sister's shoulder as they stepped away from the counter and watched as their uncle, Ripper still attached to his ankle, floated high above the yard. "Sorry!" was all they heard him yell as his hands slipped and he fell like a stone.

Elena decided that it would be a good idea to flee at that point, rather than face the wrath of her uncle. And that's what she did. flee, that is. She bolted up the stairs, her brother right behind her.

Elena stormed into the room kicked the bedside table, and Harry grabbed her before she could cause any more destruction. "What the heck? What happened back there?!"

"Don't ask me! I have no idea!" She spat, as she sat to steam on the bed.

She clenched her puny fists together in anger, looking over at the picture of her mother and father, dancing within a small picture frame.

Why won't they just come out of there? she thought helplessly.

It was then that she noticed she was still holding a small chicken ribcage. She had meant to throw it in the trash, but instead had clenched it in her hands. Distracted with her task, she opened the bedroom window and tossed the rubbish out into the air.

"Go- Be free!" she begged the chicken bones, but the just fell to the ground in the neighbors yard with a defeated thunk.

"Hard to fly when you don't have wings." Harry commented idly, looking out the window at the pile of once-chicken.

"Hard to fly when you're dead." she turned suddenly, hitting Harry in the nose with her hair again, and the boy watched as she undid the clasp on the owl cage. Nightshade stepped onto her wrist gingerly and she brought her to the window.

"What are you doing?"

"I can't stay here anymore.. Lets go back to Hogwarts."

And with that, she flung the owl out the window. There was a 'fwoosh' sound as the midnight black bird unfurled her cramped wings and took off into the night.


	27. Chapter 27

Elena spun around and began throwing things into her trunk. Books, a cauldron, packets of quills, clothes, and a small bag of galleons were thrown unceremoniously into the depths of the trunk. She placed several dated vials filled with memories that had a shirt wrapped carefully around them into the trunk before she slammed the lid down and threw the latch. She snatched her wand from atop the dresser and slipped it into the sheath that was strapped to her arm. Elena finished speed packing and whirled on Harry.

"You coming?" She asked.

"Of course." He replied.

Five minutes later they were hurtling down the stairs, just as Uncle Vernon was heaving his bulk up them.

"Bring her back, damn it!" He screamed, grabbing Elena's braid and pulling hard.

Harry's wand was at Vernon's neck in an instant, and Vernon cringed, dropping Elena's hair and backing up, his hands in front of his face.

"You wouldn't! You're not allowed to use magic out of school!" Vernon yelped.

"Try me." Harry said evenly in a threatening tone.

Harry kept his wand at Vernon's neck and he and Elena steadily made their way towards the door. Finally Elena was able to reach the knob and she pulled the door open, releasing herself and Harry out into the rainy night.

Harry and Elena plopped down exhausted on the edge of the sidewalk. They'd been walking for about two hours now, and they hadn't the slightest clue how to get to the Leaky Caldron without using magic.

"Like it even matters." Elena muttered, putting her elbows on her knees and her forehead in her palms. ""I've already used magic out of Hogwarts. I'll be expelled for sure."

"You didn't mean too! You couldn't control it. It's not your fault." Harry answered, putting his arm around her shoulder.

Before Elena could reply, there was a loud rustle in the bushes across the street from them. They stood quickly, wands out and pointing. They took a few cautious steps out into the road. It was eerily silent, and Elena's eyes strained as she concentrated on the dark bushes, trying to focus.

"Harry," Elena whispered. "Maybe it was nothing. It could have been the wind."

"What wind? There isn't even a breeze." Harry whispered back, glancing at the sky.

There was another rustle and Harry looked back down quickly. Elena whimpered and pointed her eyes at a black form manifesting out of the shadows cast by the bushes. A large black dog with shaggy fur and big yellow eyes stepped out of the shadows on big paws with shining claws.

"Get behind me!" Harry yelled, shoving Elena behind him, causing her to stumble and trip over the side of the sidewalk.

She cried out in shock as she felt the air rushing past her, her left arm flying out over her head in a desperate attempt to balance herself. Things seemed to go in flashes then. She saw the dog lunge, and then she no longer saw the dog, but the sky as it started tipping into her vision as she fell backwards. She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to keep the pain at bay. When she opened her eyes, a strange man, or boy really, was standing over her with a confused expression on his face. He was young, nineteen at most, with large, protruding ears and a rather pimply face. His hair was brown, but slightly reddish, like red clay often found on the sides of large rivers. He had on a purple jacket that looked two sizes two big and a small brown cap.

"What you doin' down there?" He asked, Giving Elena a puzzled look.

"I fell over." Elena muttered, sitting up and feeling very dizzy.

"What you fell over for?" He asked, looking at Elena like she wasn't very bright.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" She replied, indignant.

"Well, come on then, let's not wait for the grass to grow!" The boy cried, grabbing Elena by her shoulders and pulling her up with surprising strength.

Elena was facing a large, two storied, purple bus. She was about to turn to find Harry when he came sprinting towards her from the other side of the bus.

"Elena! Are you okay?" He asked, looking her up and down for signs of injury.

"Yes, Harry, I just hit my head. The dog-" She started, and glanced around the side of the bus.

"What choo lookin' at?" The pimply boy asked, looking around the bus as well.

There was only darkness across the road.

"Nothing." Elena whispered, as she turned and followed Harry to the door of the bus.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor this evening." The pimply boy said, reading off a card that he had pulled from his sleeve.

He waved them aboard and Harry and Elena stepped cautiously onto the strange bus. It was lined with beds, some occupied by sleeping wizards. Harry sat gingerly down on one and Elena sat down next to him, her head throbbing.

"Take her away, Ern." Stan said as he climbed aboard and faced the two new passengers.

A shrunken head hanging from the ceiling cried with a Jamaican accent

"Yeah, take it away, Ernie! Fasten your safety belts, clench your buttocks! It's going be a bumpy ride!"

The bus sped off incredibly fast, and Elena was thrown back against the pillows. She decided to stay laying down, reasoning that it would cause less jostling around.

"What'd you say your names were again?" Stan Shunpike asked, looking over the top of the news paper he had picked up.

"We didn't say our names." Harry replied.

"Well, whereabouts are you headed?"

"The Leaky Cauldron! That's in London!" Harry replied after the bus had taken a sickening lurch to the left.

"D'you hear that Ern?! The Leaky Cauldron that's in London!" Stan shouted at the driver, who barley nodded his head in acknowledgment.

Stan Picked up his paper again, and Elena heard Harry and him engaging in a conversation about an escaped convict named Sirius Black. They were quiet, probably thinking Elena was sleeping, but she was able to pick up on a few words.

"-is Sirius Black, that is! Don't tell me you never been hearing of Sirius Black?!" Stan asked, shocked.

Harry shook his head.

"He's a murderer, he is! Got himself locked up in Azkaban for it." Stan replied, quieter.

"How'd he escape?" Harry asked.

"Well that's the question, isn't it? He's the first one who done it. He was a big supporter of You-Know-Who. Reckon you've heard of him?"

"Yeah. I've heard of him." Harry muttered.

That's the last thing Elena heard clearly, because she went into a heavy sleep.

It seemed that Elena had only been asleep five minutes before Harry was shaking her awake, telling her it was time to get off the bus. She sat up while Harry turned around to thank the driver.

She stepped groggily off the bus, and Stan set her trunk down next to her, and Harry's next to his. Then Stan climbed back aboard, yelled farewell, and the Knight Bus was gone.

Elena blinked twice, and suddenly a short, hump-backed man, who Elena knew as Tom, the barkeeper at the Leaky Cauldron, came hobbling out and beckoned for them to follow him. They did so, and after winding through hallway after hallway, they came upon a large office. Tom ushered the siblings in, took their trunks, and shut the door behind them. A man was sitting at a desk across the room.

"Hello, children, I am Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic." He said in introduction. "Please, have a seat." Cornelius Fudge beckoned them forward and they sat nervously.

"Are we expelled?" Harry asked, and Fudge shook his head, chuckling.

"Two children will hardly be expelled for accidentally blowing up their aunt. She's been recovered and her memory modified. No harm done." He said. "We just wanted to make sure you two were safe."

"Why? What's happened?" Elena asked, worried.

"Oh, no reason, just making sure two Hogwarts students were well taken care for. And nothing's happened, child. No need to distress yourself." The Minister replied, but Elena could see the unease in his face. "Your owls got here about five minutes before you arrived. Very smart, indeed." He said chattily, giving Hedwig and Nightshade, who were sitting on his desk, bits of cookie. "Oh, here's Tom. He'll show you to your room. You will stay here for the rest summer vacation."

Harry and Elena stood up, calling their owls, which came and landed on their shoulders. They were just leaving the office when Cornelius Fudge called after them.

"Oh, and children, you may walk around Diagon Alley as much as you'd like, but do not leave it, do you understand?"

Mystified, they nodded, and followed Tom to their room. He handed them their room key and trunks, then scurried away down the corridor. Giving a heavy sigh, Harry unlocked the door and pushed it open, revealing two plain beds with black canopies. Elena walked to the far bed and sat down on it.

"Harry," Elena began while unbraiding her hair and brushing it out with her fingers. "Can I sleep in your bed with you tonight?"

"Sure." He replied, taking off his glasses and setting them on the nightstand.

Elena slipped in next to him, and then she reached up and clicked off the lamp.


	28. Chapter 28

The next few weeks passed quickly for Elena. After withdrawing enough money from Gringotts, they went shopping for all their new school supplies. After finishing that troublesome task, they browsed the multiple shops. Harry, of course, spent as much time as possible ogling the newest broom, the Firebolt.

"Look at it, Elena," He whispered in awe. "The fastest broom in the world! It's bloody wonderful!"

Elena nodded her head, going along with it. She'd never flown before. After her accident in first year when she almost drowned in blood and got attacked by sharks, Dumbledore had decided she should skip those particular lessons. She'd never gotten around to riding a broom before.

"You know, Elena, I could teach you to fly this year. Who knows? You might be great at it!" Harry said excitedly.

"Oh, well, you see," Elena fumbled for an excuse, but then she looked up into Harry's excited eyes and she couldn't deny him. "Sure."

"Great! I could get Fred and George to help, too! Maybe even Oliver Wood! The captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team! I know he'd love to recruit you for the team! It'll be great!"

"Yeah… Bloody marvelous…" Elena muttered under her breath. "Harry, I think I'll head down to Fortescue's for a bit of a treat and to work on my medieval wizardry essay."

Harry nodded and Elena soon found herself out in the crowded streets. She moved with the flow of the people, making her way slowly and steadily towards Fortescue's Ice-cream Shop. An elbow jabbed her viciously in the shoulder, and she looked up into the icy blue eyes of a very tall man with long blonde hair tied by an emerald green ribbon and a pointed face.

Elena smiled up at the man, trying to be polite and friendly, attempting not to upset the man anymore than he already seemed to be.

"Good afternoon, Sir. I'm sorry if I stepped on your toe, it's a bit crowded and I-"

The man scowled down at her, disgust etched onto his face.

"So. You're the Little Potter Girl. Little Miss Oops." The man asked coldly.

"I'm sorry, Sir, I'm not sure what you mean-"

With a smirk, the man had been swept away by the crowd. Thinking that maybe being in a crowded place wasn't the best idea after all, Elena made her way to a little alley way, deciding that taking a back way to Fortescue's would be better. She pasted a couple shriveled, drunken wizards, but they all seemed to be passed out.

The alley got darker and damper the farther she went and she debated turning back. She was passing a wizard covered in filthy rags, and all she could as she approached him was his pasty, waxen face and long, shoulder length matted dirty hair. The man looked up as she walked by, and their eyes met. For a moment there seemed to be a spark of recognition in his dark eyes, but Elena broke eye contact quickly, she set two galleons down next to him and kept walking. She had only gotten a few feet away when she heard a grunt, and soon the padded sound of bare feet came up behind her.

Elena sped up her pace, reaching up her sleeve and grasping hold of her wand. She spun around quickly, her wand extended in a defensive pose, but there was no one behind her, just a large dirty dog. The man was gone. The dog sauntered up to her, tail wagging.

"Hi, doggy." Elena said, reaching out to pet its head.

The dog wagged its tail vigorously, and licked at Elena's fingers. Elena giggled and continued walking, the dog keeping pace.

"What're you called?" Elena asked, as if expecting the dog to open its mouth and answer. "Well, how about Snuffles, do like that?"

The dog gave a bark and its tongue lolled out, as if smiling. Elena wound through the maze of alleys. Each time she turned she was certain that it would bring her to Fortescue's, and each time she was disappointed and a little worried. She was in the darkest, dampest part of the network of alleys. Even the drunks and homeless didn't sleep here. Finally, she threw both her hands in the air.

"Well, Snuffles, I'm lost! I have no idea where I am!"

The dog sat on its haunches, looking at Elena with a quizzical look.

"Don't look at me like that! I didn't mean to get lost! I don't know where to go!" Elena cried, turning her back on the dog.

"We can help you find your way, little girl." A silky voice from the shadows whispered.

Two men dressed in pure black cloaks with silver masks stepped from the shadows. Snuffles growled, stepping in front of Elena and pacing back and forth, his ears pressed down flat on his head.

"Oh, no, it's okay, I-" Elena began, but a flash of red light flashed two inches from the left side of her head and hit the brick wall behind her.

Elena was showered in little pieces of rock and moss. She looked up to see one of the man's arms extended, and the wand in his hand tilted back, about to cast another spell. This spell was right above Elena's head and she threw herself to the ground face first to dodge it. She Heard Snuffles barking and a shout of pain from one of the men. She lifted her head to see Snuffles get thrown to the ground by the bigger of the two men. Snuffles picked himself up and limped down an alleyway, out of sight from Elena and the two men. Elena didn't have time to think about things like that now; she rolled to the left just in time, avoiding another blast of red.

"Oh, Lord, what's going on!?" Elena wondered frantically, rolling to the right and jumping up, her wand out. "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

One of the men fell over backwards, stiff as a board. Taking this chance, Elena spun around and sprinted down one of the alleys. She turned random corners, and when she was gasping for breath, she slowed.

"I lost him." Elena muttered, sliding down a moss covered wall, putting her head in her hands.

When she'd caught her breath, she stood up and started walking, her wand still out. There was the sound of a stone being kicked behind her. She turned quickly, but saw nothing but gloom. She began backing up, taking baby steps. She gave out a shriek as two strong hands clamped down on her shoulders.

"Found you, little girl." The masked man that had her in his grip said.

The other one came around the corner and pointed his wand at her.

"Drop your wand or I'll kill you here." He said.

Elena gripped her wand tighter, but the man holding her used one of his hands and grabbed her wrist, squeezing it until she involuntarily dropped it.

Both men began to laugh, a sound that made Elena's stomach churn.

"Please, I don't know what you want." Elena whimpered, twisting in the man's grasp.

The men just continued laughing, but stopped as the sound of bare feet slapping on stone came steadily towards them.

"Let the girl go. Now." A voice said.

Elena couldn't see his face, because it was covered in shadow, but the speaker was dressed in torn, dirty clothing. They looked like rags sewn together to make a makeshift toga.

The man stepped out of the shadow and Elena gasped. He had pasty, waxen skin and matted dirty hair down to his elbows. It was the homeless man Elena had given two galleons too.

Elena whimpered again. This was going from bad to worse.


	29. Chapter 29

The dirty man took another step closer, and Elena felt the man holding her jab his wand under her chin. She flinched and tried to pull away, but the man just held her tighter.

"I don't know what your relation is with this girl, but if you take one more step closer, I'll kill her." The man growled.

Elena cringed. How long had it been since she'd told Harry she was headed to Fortescue's? forty-five minutes? An hour? He'd probably be there by now, wondering just where Elena had gone. He wouldn't be worrying yet. The dirty rag man took another step closer.

"I'm warning you. One more move and the girl's a goner." The man holding Elena yelled harshly.

"You won't kill her. You can't. She's much to valuable to kill. Killing her would be like suicide." The rag man said, chuckling.

Before anyone could react, the rag man had pulled out his wand and hit the masked man in front of him with a spell so hard he flew backwards. Elena used this distraction to elbow the man holding her hard in the stomach. He gasped and dropped her wand, then threw her to the ground, hard. She looked up and saw him hurling spells at the rag man, who was defending himself easily. She crawled on her stomach towards her wand. She was reaching out to it when the man who hadn't been holding her stepped on her wrist, keeping her on the ground and preventing her from getting her wand. She let out a shriek of pain and fury, then sank her teeth into the ankle of the man. He howled in pain and lurched his foot away, and Elena grasped her wand and jumped up. She sprinted away from the fighting. She didn't know what any of those men wanted with her, and she wasn't going to stick around to find out. She turned to see if any of them were pursuing her, but they weren't. The last thing she saw before turning the corner was the back of one of the masked men's head, which had light blonde hair tied back with an emerald ribbon.

"Oi! Hey, Elena! I just got done buying treats for Hedwig and Nightshade! How far have you gotten on your essay?" Harry asked, sliding into a chair next to Elena.

Elena had run down random alleys until she came out right next to Fortescue's Ice- Cream Parlor. She'd sat down and Fortescue, seeing how disheveled and distressed she was, had given her a free triple chocolate ice cream sundae with chocolate fudge and chocolate sprinkles. He gave her a knowing smile as he set it down in front of her.

"Trust me, Girlie, chocolate will be your best friend some day."

Elena had wondered about that, but at that moment Harry had come panting over.

"I haven't even started working on my essay, Harry."

"Oh, why not?" He asked, taking a bite of Elena's ice cream.

"I got lost on the way here...I took a couple back alleys and lost my way." She muttered.

She'd already decided not to tell anyone what had happened in the shadows of the back alleys. No sense in worrying people.

"Did you trip? In the back alleys?"

"Pardon?" Elena looked up at Harry, confusion written on her face.

"You're covered in grime. Did you trip? Or slip, maybe?" Harry asked again.

"Oh. Yes, I tripped."

"I bet Mrs. Weasley can fix your sweater." Harry said.

"The Weasley's are here?" Elena asked, delighted.

"Yeah. I met them in the Magical Menagerie. Ron was getting rat tonic for Scabbers. He says that ever since their trip to Egypt, Scabbers hasn't been feeling well."

"Aww. That poor ugly rat." Elena muttered. "Is Hermione here, too?"

"Yes, she was with them. She bought a rather ugly cat. The woman at the desk said no one had ever wanted him, so of course Hermione got him. I told them all that I was going to get you and then head over to the Leaky Cauldron. That's where they're all staying."

Elena nodded and together they stood up. As they left, Elena thanked Fortescue for the ice-cream. As they walked down the now much less crowded street, Elena saw a Daily Prophet drifting through the dirt. A picture on it caught her eye and she stooped and picked it up. The picture was of a man dressed in black and white with chains on his wrist. He had shallow, waxy skin that stretched over his cheek bones and long, matted hair that went down to his elbows. A wave of recognition hit Elena like a fist. It was the man from the back Alleys. The one she had given two galleons to and had confronted the masked men. Under the picture was an article and Elena read avidly as she walked.

BLACK STILL AT LARGE

Sirius Black, possible the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today. "We are all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to stay calm.

Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis. "Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or muggle. I have the Prime Ministers assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it- who'd believe him if he did?"

While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a masscre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse -

Elena gasped and Harry looked at her.

"He's a murderer! He's killed thirteen people!" Elena thought, and she began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Elena, what's wrong?" Harry asked, surprised.

Elena just handed Harry the paper and he read the headline.

"I read this weeks ago on the Knight Bus. Stan Shunpike, remember him? He let me read his paper while you were sleeping. It was in front of witnesses and everything. In broad daylight! It caused a lot of trouble. He was a big supporter of Voldemort. He thought he'd be second in command if Voldemort took over. The cornered Black in the middle of the street full of Muggles. Black took out his wand a blasted half the street apart. A dozen Muggles and one wizard were killed. And you know what Black did? He laughed!" Harry said loudly, dropping the paper. "Isn't that terrible? Elena? Elena, what's wrong?"

Elena hadn't even realized she'd been crying.

"Harry," Elena hiccuped. "Harry, I saw him! He was in the alleys! Harry, I saw Sirius Black!"

"Elena, tell us what happened. I promise we won't tell Mum or Dad." It was close to midnight and George Weasley was sitting on the end of Elena's bed, his legs crossed and his chin resting on his fists, waiting eagerly.

Fred was sitting on the floor leaning against Harry's bed. Harry, Hermione, who was holding a purring Crookshanks, her new cat, and Ginny were on Harry's bed, and Ron had pulled up an over stuffed arm chair. They were all staring at Elena intently. Elena shook her head.

"I don't want to." She said for the umpteenth time.

"We won't tell Percy either. He thinks he's all noble because he was made Head boy, the snob. We won't tell anyone!" Fred whispered.

Elena sighed.

"Fine! I was walking and I bumped into someone and he got mad so I turned onto a different alley and passed a guy, Sirius Black, and I gave him some money, and then I got lost and then-" Elena took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "and then two men said they could help me but I said no and then they attacked me. Snuffles, this stray dog that had been walking with me for a while, tried to fight them but he got hurt so he ran off, and I ran away but they caught me, and then Sirius Black showed up and started fighting with the two men and I ran away! That's all!" Elena finished, crossing her arms.

"Why didn't Sirius Black just kill you all?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Hermione!" Ginny gasped, giving Hermione's arm a swat.

"Oh, I'm sorry. That sounded really insensitive, didn't it?" Hermione said apologetically. "What I meant by that was if Sirius Black killed thirteen people with one curse, why didn't he do it again?"

"He told the men to let me go. I don't know why. If he was a big fan of Volde- really, you guys, you don't have to flinch when I say his name- anyway, if he was a fan of Voldemort, he wouldn't care if I lived or died." Elena replied, shaking her head in wonderment.

"What did the two guys look like?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know. I never saw their faces."

"They attacked you and you fought them but you never saw their faces?" Ron asked, unbelieving.

"I really didn't! They had masks on!" Elena said, frustrated.

No one answered for a long time. Finally, Fred spoke.

"They had masks on?"

"Yes. One had long blonde hair tied with a green ribbon, but other than that, I have no idea what they look like."

"I don't mean to scare you, Elena. But that sounds a lot like what the Death Eaters wore. They wore them so when they went out in public, no one would know who they really were."

"Death Eaters? Like, the followers of Voldemort?" Elena asked, incredulous.

"Yeah."

"But Voldemort's gone! There are no more Death Eaters!" Elena cried.

"SHH! I know, but some believe that the Death Eaters are still loyal to him, and are waiting for his return." Hermione whispered.

"But even if they were Death Eaters, what did they want with me? What was their purpose for attacking me?"

Again, no one answered, but almost at the same moment, everyone had the same thought, and slowly everyone turned to look at Harry.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"You're Elena's brother! What if the Death Eaters are attacking Elena to get to you? What if, because Elena would obviously be much easier to get ahold of, no offense, Elena, the Death Eaters are going after Elena because they know you'd come after her?" Hermione said.

"But why do the Death Eaters want me?" Harry asked.

"Bloody hell, Harry, don't be daft. He Who Must Not Be Named wants revenge! I know if I were him I would!" Ron answered.

"Wait, wait, wait! You're all talking like Voldemort is still here! Like he's still giving his Death Eaters commands! But he's not! He's gone! He can't come back! Harry defeated him!" Elena shouted, causing the mirror to make an irritated sound.

"You're right, Elena. Maybe it was just a coincidence that two masked men decided to attack you. After all, you were in a pretty low and dirty dive. Maybe they were Death Eater wannabes." George said, reaching over to pat her shoulder.

She wanted to believe him, but all that she could think about was the letters that had been carved into her school bag the year before on the train. rearranged, they had spelled out the words You belong to Voldemort. Would a Death Eater wannabes stop a train, break into it, and carve things in her bag? And what about the one that had actually attacked her? Talking about a prophecy? Her thoughts were jumbled up when she heard Hermione cough.

"Well, we've got to catch the train tomorrow, so we should all go to bed. Goodnight, you lot." She said, standing up with Crookshanks in her arms. Soon everyone had gotten up and left, leaving Elena and Harry alone.

"Harry, I'm going to take a walk. I'll be back in ten minutes, I won't leave the building, I promise!" Elena said, standing up and stretching.

"Okay! Don't let Mrs. Weasley see you, or she'll be furious!" He said.

Elena nodded and slipped out the door, her bare feet making no sound on the cold, dark wood flooring. She was passing the room Ron was sharing with Percy, when she heard them yelling at each other.

"It was here, on the bedside table, I took it off for polishing-" Percy was said angrily.

"I haven't touched, it, alright?" Ron roared back.

"What's up?" Elena asked.

"My Head Boy badge is gone," said Percy, rounding on Harry.

"So's Scabbers rat tonic," said Ron, throwing things out of his trunk to look. "I think I might have left it in the bar-"

"You're not going anywhere till you've found my badge!" Yelled Percy.

"I'll grab Scabbers's stuff, I'm packed," Elena said to Ron, and she tiptoed downstairs.

Elena was halfway along the passage to the bar, which was now very dark, when she heard another pair of angry voices coming from the parlor. A second later, she recognized them as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's. She hesitated and started to slowly back up, not wanting them to know she was there, when the sound of her own name made her stop, then move closer to the parlor door.

"...makes no sense not to tell them," Mr. Weasley was saying heatedly. "They've got the right to know. I've tried to tell Fudge, but he insists on treating them like children. Harry's thirteen and Elena's twelve tomorrow and-"

"Arthur, the truth would terrify them!" Said Mrs. Weasley shrilly. "Do you really want to send them back to school with that hanging over them? For heaven's sake, their happy not knowing!"

'I don't want to make them miserable, I want to put them on their guard!" retorted Mr. Weasley. "You know Harry and Ron are like! Wandering off by themselves- They've ended up in the Forbidden Forest twice! But Harry can't do that this year! And He can't drag Elena along with him! When I think what could have happened to them the night they ran away from home! If the Knight Bus hadn't picked them up, I'm prepared to bet they would've been dead before the Ministry found them."

"But they're not dead, they're fine, so what's the point-"

"Molly, they say Sirius Black's mad, and maybe he is, but he was clever enough to escape from Azkaban, and that's supposed to be impossible. It's been three weeks, and no one's seen hide nor hair of him, and I don't care what Fudge keeps telling the Daily Prophet, we're no nearer catching Black then inventing self-spelling wands. The only thing we know for sure is what Black's after-"

"But they'll be perfectly safe at Hogwarts."

'We thought Azkaban was perfectly safe. If Black can break out of Azkaban, he can break into Hogwarts."

"But no one's really sure Black's after Harry and Elena-"

There was a thud on wood and Elena was sure Mr. Weasley had banged his fist on the table.

"Molly, how many times do I have to tell you? They didn't report it in the press because Fudge wanted it kept quiet, but Fudge went out to Azkaban the night Black escaped. The guards told Fudge that Black's been talking in his sleep for a while now. Always the same words: 'He's at Hogwarts...he's at Hogwarts.' Black is deranged, Molly, and he wants the Potters dead. If you ask me, he thinks killing the Potters will bring You-Know-Who back to power. Black lost everything the night Harry stopped You-know-Who, and he's had twelve years in Azkaban to brood on that..."

There was silence. Elena leaned closer to the door, desperate to hear more.

"Well, Arthur, you must do what you think is right. But you're forgetting Albus Dumbledore. I don't think anything could hurt them at Hogwarts while Dumbledore's headmaster. I suppose he knows about all of this?"

"Of course he knows. We had to ask him if he minds the Azkaban guards stationing themselves around the entrances to the school grounds. He wasn't happy about it, but he agreed."

"Not happy? Why shouldn't he be happy, if they're to catch Black?"

"Dumbledore isn't fond of the Azkaban guards," said Mr. Weasley heavily. "Nor am I, if it comes to that... but when you're dealing with a wizard like Black, you sometimes have to join forces with those you'd rather avoid."

"If they save the Potters-"

"-then I will never say another word against them," said Mr. Weasley wearily. "It's late, Molly, we'd better go up."

Elena heard chairs move. As quietly as she could, she hurried down the passage and out of sight. The parlor door opened and a few seconds later footsteps told her that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were climbing the stairs.

The bottle of rat tonic was under the table and Elena snatched it up and headed quietly back up the stairs. Fred and George were crouching in the shadows of the landing, heaving with laughter as they listened to Percy dismantle his and Ron's room searching for his badge.

"We've got it," Fred whispered to Elena. "We've been improving it."

The badge now read Bighead Boy. Elena sighed.

"You two are despicable." Elena muttered.

Elena gave the rat tonic to Ron, then quietly entered Her and Harry's room. She silently moved and lay down on her bed.

"Sirius Black is after us." She said to the darkness that enfolded her.

"What?" The darkness to Elena's right answered.

"Sirius Black wants to kill us. That's why Fudge didn't expel us. He was just happy we were alive."

"How do you know?" Harry asked.

"I heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking. That's why he'd mad us promise to stay in Diagon Alley. There are plenty of wizards around."

"Is that why we have Ministry guards and cars bringing us to the station tomorrow?"

"Probably. There will be guards at the school, too."

"Why is he after us?"

"He thinks killing you will bring Voldemort back. I guess he just wants to kill you because I'm your sister."

"I'm so sorry, Elena."

"Don't be."

There was silence for a long time, and Elena wondered if Harry had fallen asleep, but the uneven breathing from Harry's bed made Elena think otherwise.

"Harry? Are you afraid?" She asked.

"A little. not very much. Are you?"

"Yes."

'Don't be. We'll be safe at Hogwarts. Dumbledore is there. Voldemort was afraid of Dumbledore, which means Black must be super scared of him. And there are guards. Black won't be able to get in."

"We won't be allowed to go to Hogsmeade." Elena said, and she pouted at the ceiling.

"Probably not. Elena, I found something in a book today. You know that dog we saw? At Magnolia Cresent? Right before we got on the Knight Bus?"

"Yes. It was really big. Like a bear."

"Right. well, it was called "Death Omens: What to Do When You Know The Worst Is Coming."

"Okay?" Elena said, wondering what the point of this was.

"There was a big black dog on the cover. A really big dog. Like a bear. It looked very familiar..."

"It was a Death Omen?" Elena asked in awe, her eyes wide.

She rolled over so she was facing Harry and he could see the whites of her eyes.

"Yeah..."

Elena rolled back over, shivering.

"Don't worry, Elena. We are not going to be murdered." Harry said trying to comfort her.

"That's the spirit, dearies," said the mirror in the corner sleepily.


	30. Chapter 30

Elena was standing by the steaming Hogwarts Express with Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley children While Mrs. Weasley handed out specific sandwiches to specific red heads.

"Fred? Oh there you are, here. Ron! Here, take this one. No, this one! No, it's not corned beef! Ginny? Ah, here you go, Dear-,"

That morning had been even more hectic. After Elena and Harry had been woken up, they changed into their uniforms so that they wouldn't have to on the train, and then pulled their luggage down the stairs, they hadn't had any time alone to tell Hermione and Ron about what Elena had overheard because there always seemed to be another Weasley hanging about, and it had made Elena quite irritated and snappish. Well, that was part of the reason; the other part was that it was Elena's birthday.

"Harry, Elena," Mr. Weasley said quietly, "come over here a moment." He jerked his head toward a pillar, and the siblings followed him behind it, leaving the others crowded around Mrs. Weasley.

"There's something I've got to tell you two before you leave-" said Mr. Weasley, in a tense voice.

"It's alright Mr. Weasley, we already know." Said Harry, and Elena nodded.

"You know? How could you know?"

"I…I heard you and Mrs. Weasley talking last night, I couldn't help but hear," Elena muttered. "Sorry."

"That's not the way I'd have chosen for you to find out," said Mr. Weasley, looking anxious.

"It's fine. Really."Harry said.

"You must be very scared-" Mr. Weasley said, looking at Elena.

"I'm not!" Elena said indignantly. "I swear I'm not!" She said again because Mr. Weasley was looking disbelieving.

"Arthur!" called Mrs. Weasley, who was now shepherding the rest on the train. "Arthur, what are you doing? It's about to go!"

"They're coming, Molly!" said Mr. Weasley, but he turned back to Harry and Elena and kept talking in a lowered and more hurried voice. "Listen I want you to give me your word-"

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley yelled again.

"I want you to swear to me that you won't go looking for Black."

"What?" The Potters said together.

There was a loud whistle. Guards were walking along the train, slamming all the doors shut.

"Promise me," Talking more quickly still, "that whatever happens-"

"Why would we go looking for someone that wants to kill us?" said Elena blankly.

"Swear to me that whatever you might hear-"

"Arthur, quickly!" cried Mrs. Weasley.

Steam was billowing from the train; it had started to move. Harry and Elena ran to the compartment door and Ron threw it open and stood back to let them on. Once on, they leaned out the window and waved at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley until they went around a corner and could see them no more.

"I need to talk to you in private," Harry said to Ron and Hermione as the train picked up speed.

"Go away, Ginny." Ron said.

"Oh, that's nice." Ginny huffed and stalked off.

"Ginny, wait! I'll go with you!" Elena yelled.

She handed Harry her owl and sped off after Ginny.

"My brother is such a git." Ginny complained as they searched for an empty compartment.

"He can be…" Elena said, not wanting to insult her.

"I don't understand why I can't hang out with you and Ron and Hermione and… Harry." Ginny said, stuttering and blushing over Harry's name.

"Well, maybe he doesn't like you hanging around with him." Elena suggested.

Maybe, but he always acts like he so cool. The only time he'll be cool is when he's buried six feet under!"

"Well…" Elena didn't know what to say, as she'd never been in this kind of situation.

"Oh! Guess what!" Ginny said excitedly, changing the subject suddenly.

"What?"

"Something super exciting is going to happen this year!" Ginny said.

"Really? Like what?" Elena asked, not knowing what could be more exciting then finally going back to Hogwarts.

"Well, I don't know what exactly, but my dad was very excited about something, and he only gets that excited when it's about muggles."

"Muggles? But, they can't possibly have any muggles in the school, can they?" Elena asked, flabbergasted.

They found an almost completely empty compartment; it just had a boy about their age in it, wearing a dark green sweater, jeans, and black trainers. His dark brown hair was almost as unruly as Harry's, except this boy's hair was longer. Much longer. It went down to a little past his shoulders. His skin was deeply tanned, and he had thick eyebrows and a prominent jawbone. As they entered, the boy looked up from his book.

"Hullo," said Ginny. "Do you mind if we sit here? No? Thanks. Anyway, Elena, as I was saying, I don't think they'd bring a muggle to the school, would they? I mean, it's against the law! But something about them. Oh! Maybe they're going to have an areplone in Muggle Studies!" Ginny said excitedly.

"Areplone? What are you talking about?" Elena asked, looking at Ginny's delighted face.

"You know. An areplone. Those big metal machines that muggles go up in the sky with." Ginny said. "My dad's always trying to figure out how the stay up!"

"Are yeh talkin' 'bout an airplane?" The boy had looked up from his book again and was looking at Elena and Ginny excitedly.

The boy had a thick Australian accent.

"My name's William. William Groves. Yeh can call me Will; I'm a transfer from the Australian Wizarding School, Urelic Wizarding School for Magical Education." He said. "I know lots about them airplanes you were talking about. My Mum's boyfriend owns a plane strip and repair shop. Sometimes I help him fix them."

"My name's Elena Potter, but you can call me Elena."

"And My name's Ginny Weasley. So, you're muggleborn?" Ginny asked, not unkindly.

"No, no, I'm halfblood. My Pa was a Wizard, but he ran off when I was born, that sack of scum. My Mum didn't know. You can bet it came as a real shock to us when I got my letter to Urelic's. My mum almost didn't let me go. She thought it was a trick."

"If you're from Australia, what kind of pet do you have?" Elena asked, looking at a large leather drawstring bag that had begun to squirm.

The contents of the bag let out a tsk tsk and a whimper.

"Settle down, Eva, I'm letting you out now. I just didn't want to wake you up." Will said. He opened the drawstrings and pulled out a furry gray ball.

Elena was about to ask a question when the gray ball let out a long sigh that sounded a bit like a yawn and began to expand. As it stretched, four black clawed legs appeared, and then a head distinguished itself from the rest of the body, and on the head, two huge, round ears. The gray thing turned its head slowly to reveal two beady black eyes, and a big black oval shaped nose.

"Oh my goodness!" Elena gasped. "You have a koala!"

The koala started swatting Will in the chest, making a whining sound.

"Ow! Hey, you'll rip my sweater again! I'll get it, hold on!" He dropped the koala on the floor where it landed with a thump on its plump bottom. It started rocking back and forth on its bottom, as if waiting impatiently for something.

"Here you go, you annoying fuzz ball." Will said affectionately, handing it a paper bag.

The koala ripped the bag to shreds to reveal several green leaves. It munched on them happily, getting a couple stuck to its sharp claws as it picked them up.

"Her name's Eva, and she's annoying as heck. I have to put this on her while she's distracted with her leaves." Will said, holding up a pink stretchy headband with a purple felt flower attached. "She loves these things, but she's too impatient to let me put them on when she's not distracted. She ends up ripping them." He leaned down quickly and stretched the headband over her ears and then let go.

The headband snapped into place and Eva looked up, startled. She saw Will looking at her and, still sitting on her rump, extended her two front paws towards him, palm up. Her claws had bits of leaves stuck to them. Will sighed and ripped the leaves off, then placed them in her open mouth.

"Totally helpless." He muttered, shaking his head at her as she stood up on all four legs and began waddling around, falling over every time the train jostled. "She's just like a baby."

"She's very cute!" Elena said, reaching down and patting her head. "So, you're going to be sorted with the first years?"

"Yes. What house are you two in?"

"We're both in Gryffindor." Ginny said. "But Elena's a third year and I'm a second year.

"But you look the same age." Will said, slightly confused.

"We are, but I started a year early, with my brother, Harry."

"Harry Potter? The Harry Potter? The boy who saved the Wizarding World?" Will said, awestruck.

"Umm, yeah, I guess."

"That's cool!" Will said.

Elena was about to reply when the compartment door slid open loudly and a pink apparition stood in the doorway, with Parvati Patil standing behind it.

"ELENA!" The pink figure shrieked. "HI! HOW ARE YOU!? IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU!"

"Hullo, Lacey! Hi, Parvati! I'm fine, it's nice to see you, too." Elena said.

Lacey Brown, Lavender Brown's red haired cousin, skipped into the room, trailing pink sparkles, and plopped down next to Will. She hardly noticed he was there. Parvati sat next to Ginny. Lacey Brown had filled out over the summer, but not in a bad way at all. At thirteen, she looked more like a woman now than a girl. Her straight, bright red hair was in a plait down her back, stopping just above her slender waist. She was in a bright pink sequined shirt and purple skinny jeans with sparkly white heels. There was a shimmering black headband in her hair. When she moved, a pleasant amount of cherry blossom scented sparkles fell around her, and she seemed to shimmer. William, was trying to scoot as far away from her as possible.

"Oh, Elena, you just wouldn't believe it! That Gregory Goyle boy just came up behind me and pulled my hair. I hexed him so hard, I did, I swear he'll be bald for at least a week. Oh the nerve of that boy! We aren't first years anymore!"

"Why'd he pull your hair, Lacey?" Ginny asked, quizzically.

"Oh, I don't know. I was talking to Parvati about how excited I was to be getting back to the Gryffindor common room because it's just so cozy, and that dumb oaf and the other gorilla come up and start saying all this nasty stuff about Gryffindor so of course I had to tell him off, because of house honor, and he goes and pulls my hair! He doesn't hex me, or jinx me, but-" here she lowered her voice and said in a growl that almost scared Elena "he went and grabbed my hair with his ugly, fat, greasy hand."

Elena and Ginny shrieked in disgust, and all four girls fell into a heap of giggles. William looked terrified at this feminine display, and he picked up Eva before she could start licking the sparkles off the floor.

"I think I'll go change-" he began, but Elena stopped him.

"Wait, wait, let me introduce you to my friends first!" Elena said, holding back another burst of giggles. "Parvati, Lacey, this is William, Will for short, and he's an exchange student from Australia."

"Hello." Said Parvati simply, picking herself up and sitting back down on the seat.

"Hullo, William, or Will, for short!" Lacey said enthusiastically. "My name is Lacey Brown and I'm sure we'll be good friends! Well, we've got to go back to our compartment, see you all later! I do hope you're in Gryffindor, Will. Bye!" Lacey said and Parvati waved, then left.

Lacey gave one last flutter of her fingers and then she too, was gone.

"She's a bit… Umm-" Elena began, trying to find a word to describe Lacey, but coming up blank.

"Terrifying." Will said, looking at all the pink sparkles that were slowly disappearing.

"Looks like she's smartened up, some though. Clever. Disappearing sparkles. She won't be staying behind in Snape's class, anymore I reckon." Elena said.

Suddenly there was a knock on the compartment door.

"Oh no, She's back!" Will said.

"It's not Lacey, Will, Lacey doesn't knock. And she's not bad; she just takes some time getting used too!" Elena said as she stood up to open the door.

Standing in the doorway was a tall, blonde boy in Hogwarts robes and a green striped tie. It took Elena a second to recognize Draco, and by the time she had, the sly grin on his face had been replaced with a stern line.

"Forgot who I was, did you?" He asked, slightly down heartened.

"No! I just didn't recognize you for a moment! Draco, your hair!" Elena gasped, reaching up to touch it.

"Do you like it? I thought I'd change it up a bit, slicking it back got boring." He said.

Draco's hair was no longer slicked back with gel, it now hung naturally, and his bangs brushed his eyes.

"Yes, Malfoy, I love it. It makes you look even more like a slimy, stuck up git." came Ginny's slow drawl from across the compartment.

Draco peered around Elena to glare at Ginny.

"Hello, Weaslette, I hear your father got some gold over the summer. Did your mother die of shock? What'd you spend it on? I hope you made repairs to that shack you call a house-"

"You slimy cur! I'll hex you over the moon, just say one more thing-" Ginny said threateningly, but Elena cut her off.

"Both of you stop it right now!" Elena said, but they kept throwing insults to each other.

"If you don't stop right now," Elena said in an icy voice that was terrifyingly calm. "I'll make it so neither of you can ever talk again, do you hear me? Not even the highest trained Healers at St. Mungos would be able to heal you so stop now." Elena hissed.

They stopped instantly.

"Good." said Elena cheerily. "Draco, this is Will, he's from Australia. That gray fur ball on the ground there is his koala, Eva. She's currently licking cherry blossom scented sparkle residue off the ground."

Draco looked William up and down before speaking.

"So, Will, tell me. What's it like having a wizarding family in Australia?"

Will might not have taken the hint, but Elena did. Draco was slyly asking whether Will was pureblood or not. Draco barely tolerated anyone who was not pureblood. Except Elena.

"Draco Malfoy I know what you're doing! You can act like a civil human being or you can leave this compartment right now!" Elena said firmly.

"You know me well." Draco said grinning.

"Sadly." Elena replied acidly, trying to hide a grin.

Draco was about to make a sarcastic remark when the train gave a violent lurch and Elena fell backwards, Draco quickly following. Luckily Elena missed landing on Eva, but only just barely. Draco landed painfully on top of her, before they could right themselves the lights went out and they were thrown into darkness.

"Draco, get up, I need to see what's going on!"

"I'm trying! Ow, that damned rodent is climbing my back!"

"Oh, sorry," came Will's voice. "here, I've got her."

"Elena, you're on my robe, roll onto your side a little. No, the other way!" Draco said bossily. "Okay, I'm up, here, let me sit down."

"Ouch! Don't sit on me, you git! Scoot over!" muttered Ginny.

"Will, set Eva on your lap so I don't sit on her." Elena said, now standing.

"Okay, I have her, you can sit next to me, now."

Elena sat down heavily.

"So," said Will hopefully. "We're at Hogwarts now, yeah?"

"No. We can't possibly be there yet. We've got , like, another three hours to go. The train ride takes all day." Ginny said.

"Then why are we stopped?" Will asked.

"I don't know." Elena replied. "The trains only done this once before and that was when I-"Elena felt cold.

The train had only stopped like this once before, and that time the lights had gone out exactly like this, and it'd gotten cold because the heating went off.

"Draco," Elena whimpered, shivering all over, because it was starting to get cold, just like last time.

She didn't finish what she was about to say because she saw something black float past their window. She leaned over and looked out. Looming figures in black cloaks that ended in rags where walking, no, floating across the ground, and entering the train.

"Oh Merlin…" Elena whispered in horror as she watched the last of the cloaked figures float on board.

The door handle on the sliding compartment door began to twist. Ginny Shrieked in fright and jumped back, and all four of them squeezed as far back as they could against the wall and watched the door slowly open.

Coldness swept all over them. Elena's breath caught in her throat. Ginny's didn't however and she let out an ear piercing shriek that combined with other screams from other compartments full of terrified students. The cold went deeper then Elena's skin. It pierced her bones and it was inside her chest, inside her heart. In the doorway was one of the cloaked figures, and it towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden by its hood, but a hand was outstretched and it was grayish and scabby, like something that had decayed in water. A sucking sound came from its mouth, and Elena could feel ever ounce of happiness leaving her. She wanted to succumb to the darkness and the cold, just get it over with. Before she could, however, a white burst of light came from the other side of the creature and it flipped in the air, leaving Elena breathless and stunned. The cloaked creature left the compartment quickly, and soon the lights were back on and the Hogwarts Express began to move, as if nothing had happened.

Elena blinked a couple of times to clear her muddled mind. What had that light been? She looked towards the doorway of the compartment and saw a man standing there. He was shabby looking in fraying robes and graying hair.

"Are you all alright?" The man asked, reaching into his pocket as if to pull something out.

"Yes, we're okay, thank you." Elena replied, helping Up Ginny, who had chosen to fall to the floor instead of touch Draco.

A loud snap made her jump and turn around. The man had pulled out of his pocket a huge slab of chocolate and was breaking it into four chunks. He handed one chunk to each of them.

"Here, eat this, it'll make you feel better. My name is Professor Lupin, I'm the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Elena took the chocolate, but didn't eat it.

"What- what was it? What did it want?" Elena asked, shaking.

"A dementor," said Lupin. "One of the dementors from Azkaban."

Everyone stared at him. Professor Lupin crumpled up the empty chocolate wrapper and put it in his pocket.

"Eat," He repeated. "It'll help. I'm going to speak to the driver now. Elena, Harry is right outside, I'll tell him to come in. Eat."

Once Professor Lupin had left, Ron, Harry, and Hermione swarmed in. Draco slid out the door unnoticed by anyone but Elena, who nodded at him for making the right decision.

"Elena! Are you alright!? That was a dementor! They were all over, searching for-" Harry lowered his voice. "They were searching for Sirius Black."

Elena gaped at him, unbelieving.

"How could he have gotten on the train? He wasn't on, was he?" Elena asked horrorstruck.

"No, he wasn't but-"

"Who wasn't?" Harry turned to look at William, who had spoken.

"Who wasn't on the train?" He asked again.

"Who are you?" Ron asked, looking at his long brown hair and distinctive facial features. "I know I've never seen you before."

"My name is William. I am from Australia. I'm a transfer student." Will said proudly.

"Well, then, being from a continent so far away I bet you a hex you've never heard of Sirius Black." Ron said.

"I most certainly have heard of that monster. My history of Magic teacher told us all about him. And all about you." Will said, looking pointedly at Harry.

To change the subject, Elena spoke.

"Harry, have you got Nightshade, Harry? And Hedwig? Are the alright? And Crookshanks and Scabbers?"

"Yes, they're all alright. Here, take Nightshade, She's wouldn't shut up."

Elena grabbed the cage but instantly pulled her hand back as Nightshade made a snap for her fingers.

"Oh yeah, mind her, she's very moody. Nearly Killed Scabbers when he got too close to her." Ron said.

Elena rolled her eyes and grabbed the cage again.

"If you bite me, you won't have any treats for a month? You understand?" Elena said into the cage.

Nightshade gave Elena a resentful glare that was worthy even of Snape, but she didn't bite.

"Good girl." Elena said, throwing a treat into the cage.

Nightshade ignored it. Elena sighed and sat down, putting Nightshades cage on her lap. Eventually everyone else sat down too. No one talked much for the rest of the journey, and it was totally silent except for a pages turning in Will's book as he read, and the occasional coo of an owl.

At long last they reached Hogsmeade station, and there was a great scramble to get outside. Elena sat and waited while the rest of the people on the train got off, then she made her way to the front, Will following her. She heard Hagrid calling for all the first years, and she told Will to go to him.

"All righ' there, Elena?" Hagrid called, and Elena gave him thumbs up.

Elena trudged along and was able to catch one of the last carriages that were pulled, Elena could only assume, by invisible horses, because when she closed the door, it started rolling. The carriage smelled faintly of mold and straw. Suddenly it stopped and the door was yanked open by Draco, then pulled shut as he climbed inside.

"Hey, sorry about that, this is one of the last ones and the other ones were filled with people like Longbottom."

"Neville's not that bad. I think he's nice." Elena said, looking out the window.

"You would."

"Yeah, because I'm friends with people because they have good hearts, not their family wealth or status." Elena said sharply.

"What bit you in the wrong place this morning?" Draco asked, taken aback.

Elena glowered at him.

"Elena, just tell me what's wrong."

"Shut up."

"Elena, this is so not fair! If you're mad at me I deserve to know."

"I'm not mad at you."Elena growled.

"Well, you're acting like it." Draco said, getting huffy. "You can't treat me like this if you don't have a reason."

"Why? You treat people badly all the time when they haven't done anything to you." Elena hissed venomously.

"Is this about how I treat other people? The school year hasn't even started yet!" Draco cried, throwing his hands in the air.

"I'm sorry." Elena said, her mood suddenly changing from pissed to sorrowful.

"Sorry for what?" Draco asked, completely confused.

"I don't know!" Elena said, throwing her hands in the air, too, and almost knocking Nightshade to the ground.

"Oh. Well, Happy birthday!" Draco said, handing her a box wrapped in green and silver.

Inside the intricately wrapped box was a wooden oval bowl with butterflies carved into it. Inside this oval bowl were individual shimmering blue butterfly wings. Hundreds of them, and they were silky to the touch. On top of the wings was a small, butterfly hair clasp, the same shimmery blue color of the wings.

"Draco, they're beautiful." Elena said in awe.

"The clip is for your hair, obviously, but the wings are for potions class. I might have heard somewhere that Professor Snape was going to make his class require butterfly wings last moment, just to make students fail their first potion lesson."

"That's a terrible thing for him to do. But, thank you Draco." Elena said, smiling at him.

"No problem. Now you're prepared."

"Draco, I have to tell you something." Elena said, serious again.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"It's about Sirius Black, he-" But Elena couldn't finish her sentence, because the carriage came to a halt at the steps of the castle.

"I'll tell you after the feast, if I see you, Okay? Thank you for the present!" Elena said as she set Nightshade on the floor and jumped out of the carriage. "Hand me Nightshade, will you?"

Draco bent and picked up the cage, handing it to her. As she took it from him, her hand brushed his. He stood stalk still, his heart racing as she thanked him and ran off to find her brother and his friends. What had just happened? Why was his heart racing like that after just merely brushing her fingers with his? He'd hung out with her tons last year, and the year before, and he'd never felt that rush before, even when they'd snuck into the kitchen together to drink butterbeer by the fire after a long snowball fight.

He watched her running figure get smaller and then slow down as she caught up to her friends. He watched her disappear into the castle and only then did he realize he was still standing in the carriage. He shook his head to compose himself and jumped out, then walked alone towards the castle entrance, trying to get Elena out of his head.

Unbeknownst to Draco, a shadowy figure standing by the student luggage cart saw the whole ordeal. Grimacing, the figure turned, and with a sweep of his black cape, he went back into the castle.

As Elena entered the great hall, a voice she knew belonged to Professor McGonagall called out.

"Potter! Granger! I want to see you both!"

Elena looked up expectantly, but Professor McGonagall shook her head at her, meaning she wanted Harry, not her. Elena muttered good bye to Harry and Hermione and made her way to the Gryffindor table, sitting down between Fred and Ginny, and across from Percy, who was acting high and superior, his badge freshly shined and letting everyone know that he was of high importance. Elena ducked down low and sneaked a look at the Slytherin table, but she couldn't see Draco among the mass of silver and green.

"Looking for that slippery snake you're so fond of?" George asked, his head at her level, scanning the crowd as well.

"No! Of course not!" Elena said, straightening up quickly.

"Of course you weren't." Fred said. "He's a tricky one, he is. I wouldn't get to attached to him if I were you. He could end up being dangerous."

"I do not need you to tell me what's dangerous or not, thank you very much." Elena said, glowering at her shiny gold plate.

When the first years filed in, Elena paid attention only partially; she was also scanning the teachers table. Snape was there, of course, glowering at her as usual, she saw Lupin, and another empty chair. She wondered at that, but then William Groves was called. Elena watched him excitedly.

The teacher doing the sorting this year announced that Will was a transfer student from Australia and would be joining as a third year. He looked as excited as Elena felt. He seemed to be shaking in anticipation.

"RAVENCLAW!" The Sorting Hat cried.

Elena was a tad disappointed, but at least he wasn't a Slytherin or a Hufflepuff. No offense to those houses, of course. She clapped along with everyone else, and then zoned out again. Finally it was over and Hermione and Harry joined them. Dumbledore stepped up to his podium.

"Welcome!" said Dumbledore, the candlelight shining off his beard. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast…"

Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will all be aware after the search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business. They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave the grounds without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises. Or invisibility cloaks." He added blandly.

Elena lost her train of thought for a while and began thinking of food. She was so hungry. Finally the food arrived and everyone tucked in.

At long last, when the last morsels of food had been eaten, Dumbledore said it was time for everyone to go to bed. Elena carried herself up the stairs of her solitary tower, changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth, let her owl out of her cage, and flopped onto her bed, feeling full, content, and home at last.


	31. Chapter 31

When Elena woke up the next morning, she changed into her usual black skirt, white button up shirt, and, because the day seemed warm, she put on her gray vest instead of the sweater. She walked into the bathroom and pulled her hair into a ponytail, and then she studied herself in the mirror. Blue eyes stared back at her, but for some reason they seemed cloudy, as if a storm was stirring in them, casting shadows and flickers of lighter blue. Going back into her room, she slipped her wand up her arm sheath and then pulled on her white knee high socks and black shoes. She dashed down the stairs and picked up the bag she'd tossed on the couch the night before. She sat down at the Gryffindor table quickly, and chewed absentmindedly at a piece of buttered toast as she watched people file into the great hall one at a time or in small groups.

"Elena!" Came a loud voice from behind her.

Elena let out a little shriek and dropped her toast, sending crumbs flying. She spun her head around.

"Will!" She cried, jumping up and swatting his arm. "You scared me! Congratulations on your house, by the way."

Will looked a little less frazzled then he had been yesterday on the train. His long hair was pulled into a sleek low ponytail at the nape of his neck, and he walked with a bit more confidence, his head held high.

"I wish I had gotten Gryffindor. Everyone in Ravenclaw is so… I don't know." Will said, crestfallen.

"You'll warm up to them. It'll all work out, you'll see. Now, you go sit at the Ravenclaw table for breakfast. I'll see you later, okay?" Elena gave his hand a squeeze. "Ravenclaws' might have a class with the Gryffindors' today. Maybe it'll be History of Magic. It's boring, and we'll be able to talk then, okay?"

Will nodded and sat down at his table. Elena sat back down and resumed eating toast, waiting for Harry, Hermione, and Ron. When they finally came, Elena had her schedule already and was looking it over while taking a swig of pumpkin juice. Indeed, they had History of Magic with the Ravenclaws. Elena turned and caught Wills eye, and gave him a thumbs up, pointing at her schedule. He smiled, nodded, and turned back to his breakfast.

"So, Elena, what is it about him that makes him so attractive to you?" Fred asked from her left.

She hadn't even noticed him sit down.

"What?"

"What makes that boy so attractive to you, huh?"

"Who are you talking about?" Elena asked, blushing.

"Is it his accent? Is it the fact that he's from a giant island? His koala?" George asked.

"What? You mean Will?" Elena asked, shocked. "I am not interested in Will at all. He's nice, and I know we'll be good friends, but, no."

Before either of the twins could reply, Hermione and Ron's voices got louder.

"-There just isn't enough time." Ron was saying, looking at Hermione's schedule.

"I'll manage. I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

"But look," said Ron, laughing, "see this morning? Nine o' clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o' clock, muggle studies. And"- Ron leaned closer to the schedule, disbelieving –"look- underneath that, Arithmancy, nine o' clock. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's that good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?"

"Don't be silly," said Hermione shortly. "Of course I won't be in three classes at once."

"Well then-"

"Pass the marmalade," said Hermione to Elena, who passed it to her silently.

"But-"

"Oh, Ron, What's it to you if my schedules a bit full?" Hermione snapped. "I told you, I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

Just then, Hagrid entered the Great Hall. He was wearing his long moleskin overcoat and was absentmindedly swinging a dead polecat from one enormous hand.

"Hagrid!" Elena cried, jumping up and giving him a big hug.

"All righ'?" he said eagerly, pausing on the way to the staff table to return Elena's hug. "Yer in my firs' ever lesson! Right after lunch! Bin up since five getting' everythin' ready… Hope it's okay… Me, a teacher… hones'ly…"

He grinned broadly at them and headed off to the staff table, still swinging the polecat.

"I'm so excited! Hagrid as a teacher! I know it will be so fun!" Elena said, jumping up in down with excitement.

"I wonder what he's been getting ready?" said Ron, a note of anxiety in his voice.

"Oh, don't worry, Ron! It'll be fun!" Elena said, standing up yet again and heaving her bag over her shoulder.

The hall was starting to empty as people headed off toward their first lesson.

"We'd better go," said Hermione, standing up as well. "Divination's at the top of the North Tower. It'll take us ten minutes to get there."

Harry and Ron stuffed the rest of their breakfast in their mouths hastily, waved to Fred and George, and then all four of them headed off to the tower.

Elena was looking at a painting of a fat dapple gray pony as Ron and Hermione fought over which way to go. They were all out of breath, having lost their way several times. A tiny knight jogged into the picture with the pony. He had just fallen of, by the looks of the stains on his knees.

"Aha!" he said, spying Elena. "What villains are these that trespass upon my private lands? Come to scorn my fall, perchance? Draw you knave, you dog!"

He began wildly throwing his sword around, hitting nothing but a few unlucky blades of grass. He fell, unbalance, and his sword sunk deep into the ground.

"Listen," Elena said, taking advantage of the situation, "I'm looking for the North Tower, You don't know the way, do you?"

"A quest!" The little knight's rage seemed to vanish instantly. "Come, dear friend, and we shall find our goal, or else perish bravely in the charge!"

"Guys!" Elena called to the others. "This way!"

"This way, gentle lady!" The little knight said, leaving the left side of his frame.

They hurried after him along the corridor, following the sound of his armor. Every now and then they spotted him running through a picture ahead. Finally they reached the top of a long set of spiral stairs and emerged in a classroom.

"Farewell!" cried the knight, popping his head into a painting of some monks. "Farewell, my comrade-in-arms! If ever you have need of noble heart and steely sinew, call upon Sir. Cadogan!"

"Yeah, we'll call you," muttered Ron as the knight disappeared, "if we ever need somebody mental."

Most of the students were assembled. There were no doors off this landing, but Elena nudged Harry and pointed at the ceiling, where there was a circular trapdoor with a brass plaque on it reading Sibyll Trelawney, Divination teacher.

As the students watched, a silver ladder descended from the door, and one by one the student climbed up. It emerged into the strangest looking classroom Elena had ever seen. In fact, it didn't look like a classroom at all, more like a cross between someone's attic and an old fashioned tea shop. At least twenty small, round tables were crammed inside it, all surrounded by small pouf chairs or overstuffed armchairs. The window curtains were closed, and the whole room was dimly lit with lamps draped in multicolored scarves.

Harry led the way to a small table near the front, and Elena sank down into an armchair, as did Ron, while Harry and Hermione sat on the poufs.

"Welcome," a voice from the shadows said. "How nice to see you in the physical world at last. Sit, my children, sit," said the figure, that must have been Professor Trelawney, said.

'Welcome to Divination," she said. "My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending to often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye."

Nobody spoke. Cups of tea appeared in front of each student.

"Drink it up. Drink it until only the dregs remain. Swill these in the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside down on its saucer, wait for the last of the tea to drain away, and then give your cup to the person across from you to read. You will interpret the patterns using pages five to six of Unfogging the Future. I shall move among you, helping and instructing."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Elena tried to drink their scalding tea quickly, but it was hard, as it tasted rather bitter. When they'd swirled the dregs three times with their left hands and drained them, they opened their books and began. Elena was having no luck with Hermione's cup.

"Well, it looks a bit like a boat. Are you going somewhere soon? No, wait, now it looks like a tent. Camping, maybe?" Elena asked, looking at Hermione hopefully.

"Not that I know of. Here, let me try yours." Hermione said, and consulted her book. "Okay, from this angle it looks like a stick figure surrounded by other stick figures. Acording to the book, that means either great power or-" here she consulted the book again. "Or great defeat."

The two girls looked to see how Ron and Harry were doing, but they weren't doing any better.

"That means you're going to have 'trials and suffering'-sorry about that- but there's a thing that could be a sun… hang on… that means 'great happiness'… so you're going to suffer but be very happy…" Harry was saying, and all four of them burst into a fit of giggles.

Professor Trelawney whirled around and took the cup from Ron's hand as he was about to tell Harry what he saw. She gave out a loud shriek and dropped the cup.

"My dear!" She turned to look at Harry. "You have the Grim!"

"What's the Grim?" Elena asked, unaware of the collective gasp that went around the room.

"The Grim, my dear! The Grim! The giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards! My dear, it is an omen- the worst omen- of death!"

Elena's stomach lurched, and she caught Harry's eye. The dog on the cover of Death Omens in Flourish and Blotts he had told her about- the dog in the shadows of Magnolia Cresent..."

"I don't think it looks like the Grim." Hermione said flatly. "Anyway, that's the bell, let's go."

Everyone stood up and filed out of the room, Professor Trelawney eyed Hermione with dislike as she left.

The rest of the morning went by fast. Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall, History of Magic with the dull Professor Binns, where Elena sat and talked with Will, and finally lunch.


	32. Chapter 32

"Ron, cheer up," Hermione said as she sat down. "You heard what Professor McGonagall said."

Ron spooned stew into his bowl but didn't start eating.

Elena mimicked him and spooned a large helping of stew into her bowl, then took several slices of bread and began eating in as elegantly as could be expected from a twelve-year old girl.

"Harry," Ron said slowly, "You haven't seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?"

At this, Elena stopped eating and looked cautiously up at Harry, who looked worn and weary.

"Yes, Ron, I have," said Harry. "Elena and I saw one the night I left the Dursleys'."

"It was at Magnolia Cresent." Elena said quietly.

Ron's fork fell with a clatter.

"Probably a stray," Hermione said calmly.

Ron and Elena looked at Hermione as if she'd gone mad.

"Hermione, if they've seen a Grim, that's- that's bad," Ron said. "My- my uncle Bilius saw one and –he died twenty-four hours later!"

"Coincidence," said Hermione airily, pouring herself some pumpkin juice.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" said Ron, starting to get angry. "Grims scare the living daylights out of most wizards!"

"There you are, then," Hermione said in a superior tone. "They see the omen and they die of fright. The Grim's not an omen; it's the cause of death! And Harry and Elena are still with us because they're not stupid enough to see one and think, right, well, better kick the bucket, then!"

This made enough sense to Elena so she continued eating, but Ron and Hermione continued to bicker. Elena jumped in surprise when Hermione suddenly slammed her Arithmancy book down so hard on the table that bits of meat and carrot flew everywhere.

"If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I'm not sure I'll be studying it much longer! That lesson was absolute rubbish compared with my Arithmancy class!" She snatched up her bag and stalked away.

Elena didn't want to sit with the boys any longer, so she stood up and wandered over to the Ravenclaw table, trying to find William. She soon spotted him talking excitedly to a blonde, second year girl.

"Oh yes. Nargles love long hair, that's why I've let mine get so long. So many people have short hair nowadays Nargles have had to live on animals." The girl was saying as Elena walked up. "Hello, Elena Potter, have you come to join us?" The girl said without looking up.

Startled, Elena nodded, and sat down on the other side of Will. His hair was no longer unruly and around his shoulders, but it was now neatly brushed and tied back with a blue ribbon, to match his Ravenclaw uniform.

"Heya, Elena!" Will said, looking at Elena excitedly. "It's only been half a day and I already love this place! I've gotten my foot stuck in the fake steps several times already! I can't wait until History of Magic!"

"I can. It's really boring. I have it right after Care for Magical Creatures. What do you have next?" Elena asked.

"Charms, then I have History of Magic with you! I'm so very excited!" Will said, practically dancing in his chair.

A bell sounded, and everyone began to get ready for their next lesson. Elena said farewell to Will and went back to the Gryffindor table to pick up her school bag. As she hoisted it up over her shoulder something small and boxy fell to the floor. Elena stooped down to pick it up and found that it was a box neatly wrapped in silver and blue wrapping paper. There was a small letter attached to it. Curious, and a bit suspicious, she opened the letter.

Dear Elena,

I wish to say happy birthday, I'm so proud of you.

Sincerely and forever,

S.T.S

Stunned, Elena stared at the letter. This mysterious S.T.S had written her a letter and given her a present last year as well. It had been an iPod and an iHome that had a built in radio and muggle music that Elena enjoyed greatly. Elena shoved the letter and unopened present into her bag and ran towards Care of Magical Creatures.

Elena was pleased to get out of the castle after lunch. The rain had cleared; the sky was a clear, pale gray, and the air was slightly misty. It clung to her skin, and it was refreshing. She stopped and just breathed in the air. She saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione ahead of her so she jogged to catch up. Ron and Hermione weren't speaking to each other, of course, and Harry was walking between in silence. Elena lagged behind, her mood considerable dampened. No one spoke as they went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was only when Elena spotted three familiar heads that she realized they were having these lessons with the Slytherins.

"Draco!" Elena muttered in relief, realizing she wouldn't have to spend the entire class with the sulking Ron and Hermione.

Elena could see Harry tense up, and she knew what was coming even before he spun around to face her.

"Harry, don't even." Elena said harshly as Harry opened his mouth to speak. "I'm allowed to be friends with who I want."

"But you fight all the time-" Harry began, but Elena cut him off.

"So do Hermione and Ron and you're not telling them they can't be friends."

"But that's different-"

"Oh Harry shut up. You're just being a git." And with that she skipped off and shoved Draco into a bush.

"Ugh! I can't stand seeing that! Malfoy is just so evil!" Harry cried, loud enough so that Elena turned and glared at him.

Before either Ron or Hermione could reply, they arrived at the front of Hagrid's hut. Hagrid was waiting for the class at the door. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start. Elena bent down and picked up a stick.

"Fang! Fang, come here, boy!" She threw the stick as far as she could and Fang sped off after it, his feet kicking up clods of dirt and grass as he ran. "Hey, Hagrid!"

"Heya, Elena!" He said, and to the rest of the class he said "C'mon, now, get a move on! Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

Hagrid strolled around the edge of the forest, and five minutes later, everyone found themselves outside a kind of paddock. There was nothing in it.

"Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" He called. "That's it- make sure yeh can see- now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books-"

"How?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco.

"Eh?" said Hagrid.

"How do we open our books?" Draco repeated. He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which was a vicious book that attacked anything that moved. Draco had bound his shut with a length of rope.

Elena had belted hers shut, same as Harry.

"Hasn'- hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen.

The class all shook their heads.

"yeh've got ter stroke 'em." said Hagrid, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look-"

He took Elena's copy and unbuckled the belt that bound it. The book tried to bite, but Hagrid ran a giant forefinger down its spine, and the book shivered, and then fell open and lay quiet in his hand.

"Oh, how silly we've all been!" Draco sneered, "We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess!"

Elena growled at him and elbowed him in the side with as much force as she could muster.

"I-I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly to Hermione.

"Oh, tremendously funny!" Draco said when he'd gotten his breath back. "Really witty, giving us books that try to rip our hands off!"

"Shut up, Draco," Elena said quietly. Hagrid was looking downcast and Elena wanted Hagrid's first lesson to be a success.

"Righ' then," said Hagrid, who seemed to have lost his thread, "so- so yeh've got yer books an'-an'- now yeh need the Magical Creatures Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on." He strode away from them into the forest and out of sight.

"God, this place is going to the dogs," said Draco loudly. "that oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him-"

"Shut up, Draco!" Elena said again, and went to stand by Neville, who was having trouble stroking his book.

Before Draco could reply, there was a squeal from Lavender Brown. Elena turned to see a dozen of the most bizarre creatures she'd ever seen. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-colored beaks and large, brilliant orange eyes. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. Elena gasped and took an involuntary step back.

"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren't they?"

Elena could sort of see what Hagrid meant. Once you got over the first shock of seeing something that was half horse, half bird, you started to appreciate the hippogriffs' gleaming coats, changing smoothly from feather to hair, each of them a different color: stormy gray, bronze, pinkish roan, gleaming chestnut, and inky black.

"So," said Hagrid. "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer-"

No one seemed to want to. Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached the fence cautiously. Elena began to follow, but Draco gave her a concerned look. Elena gave him a frosty glare and went to stand by her brother.

Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs is, they're proud. Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do. Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed to touch him. If he doesn' bow, then you get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt. Right- Who wants ter go first?"

Most of the class backed further away in answer. Even Elena, Harry, Ron and Hermione had their misgivings. The Hippogriffs were tossing their fierce heads and flexing their powerful wings: they didn't seem to like being tethered like this.

"No one?" said Hagrid, with a pleading look.

"I'll do it," said Elena, but Harry stepped quickly in front of her.

"No, no. I will." He stated firmly.

He climbed over the fence and began conversing with Hagrid about how to approach the Hippogriff. Elena looked down and began shuffling the dirt and dead leaves around. She heard a whooshing sound and a gasp from the crowd. She looked up. Harry and the hippogriff were gone.


	33. Chapter 33

Elena saw a large shadow on the ground and looked up. Harry was on the hippogriffs back, and the hippogriff was soaring around the paddock. It flew around once and then headed for the ground. There was a heavy thud as the four ill-assorted feet hit the ground.

"Good work, Harry!" roared Hagrid as everyone except Draco, Crabbe ,and Goyle cheered. "Okay, who else wants a go?"

Elena ran up to Harry with Hermione and Ron as the rest of the class, emboldened by Harry's success, climbed cautiously into the paddock.

"Harry, was it fun? Was it exhilarating? Were you scared?" Elena asked, looking at Harry and glancing at the class bowing nervously.

"Yeah, but it was weird; not like riding a broom at all. Speaking of brooms, I told you I would teach you how to ride one this year. After the final class today, meet me out by the Quidditch pitch." Harry said excitedly.

"Well, no, I don't want to take up your time," Elena began less enthusiastically. "I'm okay here on the ground, I-" Elena was cut off by a shout.

Elena turned to see Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle, who had taken over the gray hippogriff Harry had been on. There was a flash of steely talons and Draco was on the ground covering his face with his arms. Elena was there in an instant, pointing a finger at the hippogriff and shouting sternly.

"No! Bad! What are you doing? Stop! Stop, you hear me? Back off! Back off NOW!" Elena cried angrily.

To her everyone's surprise, including Elena's, the hippogriff backed off, huffing and grunting angrily. Elena kept eye contact with the creature as she knelt down slowly and grabbed Draco's disheveled robes with both hands and dragged him further away. There was a little bit of blood on his robes, but not enough to put Elena into panic mode as she helped him to his feet and dusted him off.

"What happened?" Elena asked tenderly, pulling back Draco's sleeve and revealing a shallow cut in his arm.

"It attacked me." Draco said.

"Obviously," Elena muttered. "but why?"

Before Draco could answer Dean Thomas stormed over and pointed a finger into Draco's face.

"It was your fault! You called him a great ugly brute! Of course he attacked you, anyone would have!" Dean yelled.

Elena looked sharply at Draco and roughly pulled his sleeve back down.

"Are you an idiot?!" She cried, backing up and glaring at him. "Didn't you hear what Hagrid said, you stupid jerk? Oh, wait, of course you didn't listen! You think Hagrid is a stupid oaf and you treat him like dirt and don't listen to him even when his advice could save your pathetic life! Of course he attacked you!" Elena was about to turn and storm away with the rest of the angry Gryffindors headed back towards the castle when Draco grabbed her arm.

"Come on, Elena, you don't believe that." He said, pulling her back into the crowd of equally angry, but for a different reason, Slytherins.

Elena shoved him and he fell back onto the ground.

"I hope your arm gets infected, Malfoy." Elena growled, then turned and caught up to Ron, Harry, and Hermione. She didn't look back as disappeared into the castle.

Pansy helped Draco back to his feet and she clung to his arm as he walked, but he shook her off angrily.

"Come on, Draco, she's just a stupid Gryffindor, anyway. She's not worth getting upset over. She was no fun to hang out with anyway." Pansy said, unknowingly saying the exact thing Draco didn't want to hear.

"Shut up, Pansy." Draco muttered, pushing past the group of Slytherins and walking in the opposite direction of the castle.

"Draco, where are you going? I'll walk you to the Hospital Wing!" Pansy cried desperately, but she was simply ignored by Draco as he kept walking.

Why did that stupid Gryffindor make him feel this way? Yeah, he was angry, but as hard as he tried, he couldn't make himself mad at her. He just got angrier and angrier at himself.

"You're pathetic," Draco thought, waiting until he was out of sight of the rest of the Slytherins before lying down on his back in the grass and looking up at the gray sky. Draco could only see one good thing that had resulted in this mess. The way she had gently rolled up his sleeve to make sure his arm was alright. His thirteen year old mind went to places many thirteen year old boys' minds go, and he was embarrassed to even think like that.

Eventually he stood up, knowing he was severely late to his next class, but it didn't really matter. It had started to rain, and by the time he was inside the large doors of the castle he was thoroughly soaked and shivering.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Hermione asked nervously as she, Elena, Harry, and Ron headed to History of Magic.

"I hope not." Elena said angrily as she stormed ahead them.

"'Course he will. Madame Pomfrey can mend cuts in about a second." Harry said, ignoring his sisters cruel words.

"That was a really bad thing to happen in Hagrid's first class, though, wasn't it?" said Ron, looking worried. "Trust Malfoy to mess things up for him…."

They arrived at the classroom and Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered, but Elena took a second to compose herself. Will was in there, and she wanted to make sure his first History of Magic class was a good one, not one affected by her bad mood. She forced on a cheery smile and entered.

She spied Will immediately. It wasn't very difficult because he was the only Ravenclaw that was twisted all the way around in his chair with his eyes glued to the door. When he saw her he threw his hand in the air and waved enthusiastically.

"Hi, Elena! Isn't this exciting? Wow. Hogwarts. This is so much better than my school in Australia!"

"I'm glad you're enjoying it so much!" Elena said, smiling brightly; Will's good mood was contagious.

"Elena, do you mind if I sit here, oh, hi, Will! I haven't seen you since the train!" Will and Elena looked up into the bright green eyes of Lacey Brown.

Lacey was no longer in the brightly colored clothes she was in on the train, but her red hair was up in a pretty messy bun and she had her signature sparkly black headband in place, along with pink glitter that made her shimmer as if she were an apparition that could vanish at any second. She also smelled slightly of peaches, which wasn't unpleasant at all.

"Hey, Lacey! Yeah, you can sit here, wait, I'll move my stuff." As Elena moved her bag off the seat next to her and onto the floor she sensed Will tensing up.

She remembered what Will had thought of Lacey the first time they met, and she stifled a giggle.

"Ugh, you wouldn't believe it! I was so upset this afternoon," Lacey started, and Elena and Will glanced at each other, preparing for a long story. "I was reading this book during my free period, and the character Meg, who's this total normal looking girl but has really thick glasses and gets in fights a lot, anyway, Meg was in her garden with this boy that came over for dinner, and they kissed, and of course my first thought was, wait, you've known each other for only a couple hours, why are you kissing? But then I realized it was obviously love at first sight but then there was a, well, a wrinkle or something, and so Meg, her little brother, and the guy Meg kissed go to a different planet, I guess, with these witches and-"

"Wait, uh, Lacey, this book, it wouldn't happen to be a Wrinkle in Time, would it?" Will asked, his eyes brightening.

"What, oh, yeah, did I not tell you the title? Yeah, that's the book. Have you read it?"

"Yes! I love that book! I've read it a million times! The muggle who wrote it, she was a genius, and her lifetime was before she could be recognized for the greatness of that book. Her theory of other dimensions, and universes, and the darkness, it was like she'd been there and done that stuff before and she was writing about her experiences!"

"And here I was thinking you were just some guy with an accent. What got you hooked on muggle books?"

"Uh, I was raised believing I was a muggle until only a couple years ago. I can have my mum mail me some of my books, and you can borrow them, if you'd like." Will said.

Elena tuned out of their conversation and tried to focus on the teacher, but it was difficult. History of Magic went by agonizingly slowly, and finally when the bell rang Elena was up and out of her seat, bag in hand, ready for dinner.

She was the first to reach the Great Hall at dinnertime, and saw that Hagrid wasn't at his usual place.

"They wouldn't fire him, would they?" Hermione asked anxiously, coming up and sitting next to Elena.

"They'd better not," said Ron, sitting down too, and putting a big glob of steak-and-kidney pudding on his plate, but not eating a bite.

Harry was watching the Slytherin table, where a group of Slytherins were huddled around Crabbe and Goyle, who were glaring at him, no, not him, at Elena.

"Well, you can't say it wasn't an interesting first day back," He muttered gloomily.

After dinner, Elena, who hadn't glanced at the Slytherin table all night, stood up and was about to head to her solitary tower, but Harry stopped her.

"Yeah, I guess you will want to change, you won't want to get your school uniform all muddy. And you'll want a jacket, it rained during History of Magic so it's bound to be a bit nippy out there." Harry said, standing up.

"Pardon?"

"I'm going to teach you how to ride a broom." Harry stated. "Fred and George agreed to help. Oliver Wood can't, but he said maybe on a different day, he can teach you the basics of quidditch.

"Oh, flying… Right… I'll just go change then. What should I wear?"

"Something that won't snag if you fall, and bring a jacket." Harry said.

"Oh, and Elena, you'll probably want to put your hair up in case it's windy so that you'll be able to see." Hermione advised.

"Right, okay… I'll meet you at the Quidditch pitch." Elena muttered.

She entered her tower and closed the door. The fire, which never went out, seemed to make the room stifling. She threw her bag on the couch and went up the stairs to the bedroom. She took off her school uniform and as she searched for something put on for flying. Harry had said no pants that anything could get hooked on, so that ruled out jeans. She decided on black spandex leggings and a white tank top, with a black sport jacket over it. She threw on a pair of old trainers and pulled her hair into a messy bun. Without looking at the mirror, she went back down the stairs and into the now empty and dark Great Hall. She jogged quickly to the front entrance and opened the large doors. The wind whipped the loose tendrils of her hair about her face as she jogged down to the Quidditch pitch.

As she got closer, she could see three figures standing in the middle of the field. Two coppery headed boys, obviously the Weasley twins, and the other was Harry. Harry was holding onto his Nimbus 2000 in one hand, and one of the school brooms in the other. The twins had their brooms, too.

"Hey, Elena." George said, giving her a high five as she stood next to them.

"Hey, George. Hey, Fred." Elena replied nervously.

"Okay, let's get started. We can only be here for about an hour because Professor Sprout doesn't want to watch us for longer than that." Harry said, pointing to a squat figure at the edge of the field picking some sort of plant and examining it. "Right, now, We're going to start the way I did."

Harry came forward and set the broom at Elena's feet so that the handle was facing away from her. Fred and George did the same thing, standing on either side of her.

"Right, now place your hand in the air over the handle and say up." Harry instructed.

"That's all?" Elena asked.

"For now." Harry replied. "watch Fred."

Fred extended his hand and said loudly and clearly "up."

The handle of Fred's broom lifted off the ground quickly and was suddenly in Fred's hand.

"But what's the point of that? Why can't you just bend down and pick it up? Why set it down to have it come to you?" Elena asked in confusion.

"I don't know, but this is how I learned, so this is how you'll learn." Harry said.

Elena rolled her eyes and glared down at her broom.

"This is ridiculous." Elena muttered.

"What?" Harry asked, looking at her fiercely.

"I said up." Elena said quickly. The second she said up, however, the broom handle lifted into the air and smacked into her open palm.

Elena shrieked and dropped the broom, hopping back and eyeing it as if it was possessed by an evil spirit.

Fred and George howled with laughter, grabbing their stomachs and bending. George actually fell to the ground and began rolling around. That sight made Elena crack a smile. She walked up to the fallen broom again and extended her hand over it.

"Up." She said quietly, and again, the broom handle flew off the ground and smacked into her open palm.

"Good job, Elena. Okay, now mount it. See how- George, get off the ground and mount your broom- okay, see how George has mounted his broom? Try to get in a position like that. Hold onto the handle tight so that you don't fall off." Harry said, and Elena cautiously put one leg over the broom and copied George.

"Right, good job." Harry said, also positioned over his broom. "Now, when I count to three, you just bend your knees then kick off the ground. Keep the broom handle level so you don't go any higher in the air than a couple feet. Ready?" Harry asked.

Elena nodded, but failed to see how a little broom was going to hold her up, even though she'd seen many Quidditch games and seen them hold up people much bigger than her.

"One." Harry said, and Elena felt her stomach drop.

"Two." Elena closed her eyes.

"Three." Elena pushed off the ground.

She felt her feet leave the ground as she jumped and expected to come crashing back down a moment later, but she didn't. She opened her right eye cautiously and looked down. She was hovering about four feet off the ground.

"Nice job, Elena. Okay, put your feet on those feet rests at the end of the broom. Good, now, to go forward all you need to do is lean forward. If you want to go up, just point the handle up. Good job!" Harry said excitedly.

Elena got the hang of flying easily, and soon she was racing Fred and George around the goal posts, while Harry gave her pointers on her posture. All too soon, Professor Sprout said their time was up and they had to go in. George took Elena's broom and he and George headed off with Harry towards the Gryffindor tower, and Elena headed towards the main entrance of the castle after a stern warning from Professor Sprout that she needed to be quick and not dilly dally.

Draco watched out the window as the tiny figures flew around the Quidditch pitch. He knew one of the figures was Elena, and that one was her brother. He knew because as he was looking out the window he had seen her walking past down below, kicking pebbles crossing her arms because she was cold. He hadn't realized it before, probably because she usually wore her hair down, but her hair looked really nice up in a messy bun. It made it look like she was ready for anything and she wasn't going to let something silly like hair get in the way.

Unknowingly, he had watched her learn to fly a broomstick and fly around the field for longer than he had meant too, and soon he saw her making her way back towards the entrance. He saw that she was hunched against the wind and cold, and made an instant decision to meet her at the front door with his jacket. He spun around quickly, knowing he had several stories to go before he was at ground level.

As Elena headed up towards the main entrance, she realized that it gotten quite dark. She was about to reach into her pocket for her wand when she realized that she didn't have pockets, and that she'd left her wand up in her tower when she'd changed. She quickened her pace but the wind had shifted and it seemed to be pushing against her, she struggled with her head down to walk a couple of yards against the wind, but it was cold and strong and she found herself stumbling. She looked up to see how far she had to go and groaned. She was barely halfway there, and soon it would be past lights out. She struggled a couple more yards forcing one foot in front of the other but stopped when she heard an audible growl.

Elena shivered again, but not because of the cold, she shivered now out of dread. Calm down, it was probably just the wind against an old tree or something. She continued towards the main entrance. She was three fourths of the way there when she heard the growl again. That sure as hell wasn't a tree.

Elena stooped down and grabbed a large stone, ready to brain anything that came at her. Pumped full of adrenaline, she push on through the wind quickly now, trying to get to the school as quickly as possible. She was almost at the door when she heard a growl from in front of her and out of the dark was a large, black dog. It took a step forward, and Elena raised the rock higher. The dog growled again and turned around, slinking back into the darkness. Not wasting any time Elena scrambled up the front steps and through the front entrance of the school. Terrified and relieved all at the same time she sand down with her back against the door, taking shuddering breaths.

She heard the soft thud of footsteps and saw Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat. It gave a soft meow and heavy footsteps were soon heard coming towards the front entrance. Elena sighed and stood up just as Filch came around the corner.

"Students out of bed!" He shrieked with joy. "Students out of bed! Students out of-"

"Student." Elena corrected grumpily. "Student out of bed. I'm the only one."

Filch glowered at her.

"Come with me, I'm taking you to your headmaster." Filch growled, taking her arm and dragging her away from the front door. They were just passing the first set of steps which they should have been going up to get to Professor McGonagall 's office, but which Filch was walking right past, when someone who had been coming down the stairs very quickly ran into Filch and caused all three of them to fall to the floor.

"Who dares-" Filch started,

"Oh, shit!" person said, struggling to their feet.

"Malfoy how many times are you going to fall on me this year?" Elena growled, pushing him off and getting to her feet.

Once she got to her feet she grabbed Draco by the shirt front and pulled him up, too, bringing his face terrifyingly close to hers.

"Fall on me again and you'll never live to see another day, got it?" Elena said menacingly.

She released his shirt and shoved him away. By this time Filch had gotten up and was ordering them both to follow him.

"My headmaster is Professor McGonagall, We should be going up those stairs." Elena said angrily.

"Don't try to lie to me! I've seen you with the Slytherin group, I know what disgusting house you belong in!" Filch said, spinning around quickly.

"Because I have friends in that house!" Elena said loudly. "I'm a Gryffindor!"

"I'm not stupid!" Filch said, spittle flying out of his mouth. "Gryffindors and Slytherins are not friends!"

"It's true! She's a Gryffindor!" Draco tried, but Filch shook his head angrily.

"COME WITH ME!" Filch cried, and he continued walking farther and farther into the bowels of the school until they were in the dungeons.

Filch banged loudly on Professor Snapes door until it flew open.

"What do you want?" Snape asked testily.

"I have students of yours who were out of bed." Filch muttered, pushing Draco and Elena forward.

"Leave." Snape said to Filch, you quickly turned and left.

"Come in. Now." Snape hissed.

Draco and Elena shuffled in and Snape slammed the door behind them.

"Explain yourselves." He said in a low growl that made the hairs on the back of Elena's neck raise.

"I was walking inside-" she began, but Snape cut her off.

"What were you doing outside?"

"Harry was teaching me to fly a broomstick. I was walking inside and I would have gotten in quicker but it was really windy, and-"

"Excuses." Came Snapes slow drawl from across the room, interrupting Elena again.

"There was a dog that confronted me, sir, near the front entrance. I forgot my wand inside so I couldn't easily defend myself, that's why I got in late, but I guess my life or death situation is just an excuse. I'm sorry, next time I get confronted by a vicious dog I'll keep walking so I don't take up your time." Elena said icily.

"Malfoy, what's your excuse?" Snape asked, ignoring Elena.

"I saw her out the window, and I saw that she was cold so I was on my way downstairs to give her my jacket."

Snape rolled his eyes and turned to Elena again. "Why are you here, and not with Professor McGonagall?"

"Because that pathetic excuse for a man didn't believe me when I said I was a Gryffindor." Elena spat.

"Go to your tower, now, Miss Potter. Directly to your tower. Don't wander off and don't be an idiot and try to do some daring thing like you and your awful group of Gryffindors do, because I will find out." Snape said, giving her a hateful look.

Elena didn't respond, she just turned around and strode back to the door. As she opened it, Snape called out.

"Next time I expect a believable excuse. Detention tomorrow night. Bring your wand."

Before Elena could slam the door defiantly, the door was pulled open and Draco came out. The door was magically shut with a snap behind him.

"Elena, I-" Draco said, but Elena just turned and left him standing.

He watched her walk away until he could no longer see her, then he trudged to his own dormitory. That didn't go well, and he hadn't given her his jacket.

"This day blows." He muttered to himself as he changed into his pajama pants brushed his teeth. He climbed under the covers and rested his head on the pillow. Wait, hadn't Elena said that the reason she hung out with the Slytherins was because she has friends? Has, not had? Present tense, not past? Did that mean she still considered him a friend? With confusing thoughts tumbling through his brain, Draco slipped off the cliff into sleep.


	34. Chapter 34

Elena woke the next morning with an empty feeling in her stomach. She glanced out the window as she sat up and saw that the weather had gotten even worse. It was windy and cold, as well as raining buckets. Sighing, she slowly got out from her warm cocoon of blankets and quickly got into her school uniform. As she was pulling the sweater over her head, she heard the familiar sound of her owl, Nightshade, fluffing herself up irritably.

"I'm so sorry to have woken you up, your majesty." Elena muttered sarcastically as she pulled a brush through her tangled blonde mess.

Nightshade shifted on her roost, then swooped down and began to hop back and forth next to the window.

"Are you crazy?" Elena asked. "It's raining so hard that if I open that window we'll both drown."

Nightshade cooed and tapped on the glass. Sighing, Elena walked over and struggled with the window latch until the window finally opened.

"Alright, but if you go out there and get blown into a tree, or, you know, a brick wall, it's not my fault."

Nightshade hopped excitedly back and forth and then flew out the open window. Elena closed the window with difficulty then turned around to look for her spied the dresser that held all of the memories she'd chosen to extract and save. She walked over to it and opened one of the drawers, picking up the slightly dusty, labeled vials.

"I don't even remember what half of these were about…" Elena whispered.

She was about to pour the very first one into the pensieve when she thought better of it, put the cork back in, and resumed her search for her shoes. She found them both under her bed, and she put them on quickly, collected the rest of the stuff she needed, and left her tower as the first couple of students were making their way groggily into the great hall.

She sat tiredly at the Gryffindor table, watching absentmindedly as more and more people poured into the room.

"Hey, Elena!" George said, poking her in the side before sitting down on her left. "Want to go flying again tonight?"

"I can't." Elena said, picking up her fork and tracing the lines in the table with it.

"Why not?" Fred asked, sitting on the other side of her.

"I've got detention with Snape." She said, just as Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down across from her.

"What? Why?" Harry asked angrily.

"I got inside after lights out last night. The wind was really strong and there was… a dog. Filch caught me and brought me to Snape. Along with Malfoy, who decided to run us over in the hallway." Elena said grumpily, glaring at the table.

"A dog?" Ron asked worriedly.

"Malfoy was with you?" Harry asked sternly.

"Why'd Filch bring you to Snape, and not Professor McGonagall?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Of course those are the questions they would each ask." Elena thought. Out loud she said

"Yes, there was a dog. It came near, but didn't attack. Malfoy ran into Filch and I in the hallway, and so he was caught by him, too. Filch assumed that I was a Slytherin because he's seen me hanging out with that group." Elena said, answering their questions in turn.

"Do you know what you're going to have to do?" Ginny asked, sitting down next to Ron.

"I have no idea." Elena replied glumly.

Everyone began to converse around her, and she was able to recede inside herself, her thoughts wandering.

"The weather is making me depressed." She thought.

"Are you sure it's the weather?" She asked herself.

"Yeah, I'm never like this when it's sunny."

"But who are you usually with when it's sunny?"

"Last time I was outside with Draco and the others."

"I see…"

"Draco has nothing to do with this."

"Are you sure?"

"Shut up."

"You know it's true."

"It's just the weather."

"You're lying to yourself."

"No I'm not."

"I think you are."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?"

Elena was shaken out of her internal argument when Fred shook her shoulder.

"Elena, Hermione's been trying to ask you a question for the last five minutes." He said.

"Oh, sorry, I was spacing out. What did you need, Hermione?" Elena asked attentively, looking up.

"I was just asking if you were going to eat anything." Hermione said, glancing at Elena's empty plate.

"Oh, no, I'm not very hungry this morning." Elena put her fork down and pushed it away.

"Are you sure? Maybe just take a piece of toast?" Hermione said, pushing the toast platter towards her.

"Right, okay." Elena said, taking a piece of toast, not bothering to jam it, and forced a smile at her friends. "I think I'll go ahead and head to potions, then."

Harry looked up then, shocked.

"You're going to potions class early?" Ron asked, unbelieving.

"Yes, I am." Elena said, suddenly desperate to get out of the Great Hall. "See you guys there." She stood quickly, knocking her book bag to the floor in her rush. All of her books spilled to the floor, and she bent irritably to pick them up.

"Merlin, Elena, in a rush, much?" Fred said as he and George bent to help her pick up her fallen objects. "Hey, what's this?"

He held up a small box wrapped in silver and blue paper.

"I-I don't know. That's from awhile ago." Elena said, putting the final objects in her bag and sitting down once again.

"Who was it from?" Hermione asked quizzically.

"S.T.S, same as last year." Elena replied, and Hermione furrowed her brow.

"Well, why don't you open it?" Ron said excitedly.

"Umm, alright, then." She unwrapped the box carefully, and the first thing she spied was a small, folded up note.

She unfolded the note and a chain fell out of one of the creases and clattered to the table top. She handed the note to George and picked up the chain, dangling it from her fingers. At the end of the chain was a small, teardrop-shaped sapphire, surrounded by almost microscopic glittering diamonds.

"Wow…" Elena whispered in awe.

"That's gorgeous..." Hermione muttered, entranced by the slowly spinning sapphire, that was catching the light from the candles and reflecting it onto everyone's faces.

"Here, I'll help you put it on." Fred said, taking it and unclasping it, then reclosing it around Elena's neck.

Here, this is what the note says," George began.

"My Dear Elena, please accept this necklace. It was my grandmothers, and I think it's time that you had it. I am so proud of you.

Sincerely and forever,

S.T.S.

P.S. The paper is charmed. Just say Flyon and it will be delivered to whomever it is addressed to.

"That is honestly the creepiest thing I ever heard." Ron said.

"Yes, it's odd that this person won't even say who they are, isn't it?" Harry said.

"It's probably a fan." Hermione said, taking the note from George and rereading it.

"A fan of what?" Elena and Harry asked together, confused.

"You two, of course. Merlin, don't be so daft." Ginny said. "You're pretty famous."

"So, what's in the box?" Ron asked, looking pointedly at the still unopened box.

Elena opened the box carefully, revealing hundreds of incredibly thin, perfectly squared pieces of paper, all different shades of blue.

"Wow, that's a lot of blue." Ginny said. "Why don't you try out that charm, Elena?"

Elena nodded and carefully pulled out a piece of paper the color of snow when it's in shadow. She took a quill from her bag and poised it over the paper.

"What should I write?" She asked.

"Anything." Harry said, anxious to see the charm.

Elena scribbled the words 'you came with the seasons, you're a bird of the summer; I was wrong to try and capture you,' quoting a song she had on her iPod. She then placed the tip of her wand on the center of the paper and whispered 'flyon.'

Nothing happened.

"That's odd. I guess it doesn't work." Elena said, pulling her wand away and staring at the paper.

"Uh oh, look who just walked in and is trying to catch your eye." Ginny growled, looking over Elena's shoulder.

Elena turned and saw Draco walking towards the Slytherin table.

"Draco." Elena hissed angrily.

There was an audible gasp from Hermione and Elena turned back to the table quickly. She saw the little blue paper quivering on the table. It seemed to be emitting a soft glow.

"What the-?" Elena began as it rose several inches off the table top.

As the all watched, the paper began to fold itself inwards, then outwards again, slowly at first, then faster and faster, performing rapid origami in midair. Suddenly it stopped folding and hovered again. Where the paper had been was now an intricate paper butterfly, lazily flapping its wings as the group of Gryffindor's stared at it, dumbfounded. Then, before any of them could speak, it fluttered its delicate wings and flew over to the Slytherin table, where it landed right in front of Draco.

"That was really beautiful magic." Hermione said, stunned. "It must have taken a really gifted wizard to create a charm like that."

Elena watched as Draco cautiously picked up the butterfly and unfolded it. She watched his mouth silently form the words that were written on the paper, and saw his face go from a look of caution to a look of confusion. She turned around quickly so that he wouldn't know that it had been her that had accidentally sent the paper butterfly to him.

"Well, that was fun," Elena began, "but I think I'll be off to Potions." She stood up and stretched, closed the box, put it back into her bag, and left the Great Hall as fast as she could.

Draco watched Elena walking speedily out of the Great Hall, and then looked back down at the blue paper in his hands. He was positive it was from her, because the words on the paper were lyrics from a song he'd listened to many times when she'd let him use her iPod. Confused, he folded the paper up and slipped it into the pocket of his black slacks, and then he, too, left the Great Hall, heading towards his first class of the day: Double Potions with the Gryffindors.

Elena opened the door to the potions classroom and groaned when she saw what was written on the board. Today they were to be making a Shrinking Solution, and while Elena happened to be adept at Potions class, she wished they were just taking notes and reading out of their texts.

"Miss Potter, do you realize that you are nearly ten minutes early to my class?" Came Snape's slow drawl from her left.

"Better than ten minutes late, I imagine." Elena said snappishly, setting her stuff down at a table as far away from him as possible.

He didn't say another word as Elena pulled out her cauldron and ingredients. She began shredding her daisy roots into perfectly even pieces, and she was so intent on her task that she didn't notice when the chair next to her was occupied and the occupant began to take out his cauldron and ingredients as well.

"I think your daisy roots are done." He said.

"Shove off, Malfoy." Elena growled, gripping her knife harder and began to slice her caterpillars with malice.

"Come on, Elena. You can't be mad at me forever." Draco said, beginning to slice his caterpillars, too.

"Try me." Elena said threateningly, finishing with her caterpillars and beginning to skin her shrivelfig.

At the rate she was going, she would be finished with her potion before anyone else in the class, besides Draco, had even started.

"I'm sorry. I really am. I shouldn't have said those things to that hippogriff. I deserved to be attacked." Draco said pleadingly, setting his sliced caterpillars aside.

"Yes, you did. You deserved more than a cut arm. Personally I think if you had lost your head it would have been even." Elena hissed, adding a rat spleen to her potion, which began to bubble perfectly.

"You don't mean that. That's not true." Draco said.

"Don't you realize what you've done?" Elena asked, her voice going up an octave. "I know you told your father about the attack. I also know that your father has sent word to the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures Committee."

"Nothing will come of it." Draco said, adding a rat spleen to his potion, too.

"Oh, yes, something will, Draco!" Elena cried, loud enough to make Snape turn around. "Hagrid wrote to Harry. There's going to be a trial, Draco! If Buckbeak loses the trial, he'll be killed!"

Elena threw her roots, shrivelfig, and caterpillars into the scalding potion and stirred angrily.

"If Buckbeak is killed, Draco, I will never forgive you. It will be all your fault." Elena said, terrifyingly calm as she walked to the ingredient cabinet and grabbing some leech juice to add to her potion.

"Elena, please. I can talk to my father. I can make him call off the hearing." Draco said, but Elena refused to listen.

She added the leech juice, then cleared her ingredients away as the other students began to trickle into the classroom, giving her looks of awe when they realized that her potion was already beginning to simmer. Draco's potion was at the simmering stage too, but Elena smirked when she saw that her acid green potion was a little lighter, glowed a little brighter, and bubbled a little more frequently than his did.

"Finished, Miss Potter?" Snape said grumpily, coming over to observe her potion.

"Yes, Sir." Elena said, smirking as she heard him grunt disapprovingly.

"Don't forget that you and Malfoy here have detention tonight. Be here by seven sharp, or you'll have detention every night for a month." Snape said when he could find nothing wrong with her potion. "Fill a phial with that and hand it to me for marks." He said to bother her and Draco after he'd turned around. "Then take notes from pages 237 to 294 until the end of class."

Elena filled a phial with her perfect potion, wrote her name on it carefully, then set it on Snape's desk, and Draco did the same. When they returned to their seats, they pulled out their text books silently and began to write notes. Elena could hear Dean and Ron silently arguing at the table behind her, and she could feel Harry's eyes boring holes into the back of her head, but she ignored it.

A few cauldrons away, Neville was in trouble. Neville regularly went to pieces in Potions lessons; it was his worse subject and his great fear of Snape made things ten times worse. His potion, which was supposed to be a bright, acid green, like Elena's was now-

"Orange, Longbottom," Said Snape, ladling some up and allowing it to splash back into the cauldron so that everyone could see.

The splashing sound Elena to look up from her notes in alarm, thinking someone had spilled their potion on the ground.

"Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one rat spleen was needed? Didn't I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?"

"Maybe if you offered him help instead of criticizing him every time he makes a mistake, he might not mess up so often!" Elena said loudly before she could stop herself.

Snape went rigid and dropped the ladle back into Neville's cauldron. He turned to Elena and the look he gave her would have made anyone else's insides turn to ice, but not Elena's. She just glared back with an equally cold expression. Snape strode over and stood directly over Elena's table, looking down at her.

"Stand up, Potter." He hissed.

Elena stayed sitting defiantly for ten seconds more, then stood up and stretched, as if it had been her choice to stand.

"Stay after class." Snape growled.

When the end of the lesson was in sight, Snape strode over to Neville, who was cowering by his cauldron.

"Everyone gather 'round," said Snape, his black eyes glittering, "and watch what happens to Longbottom's toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink back to a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned."

Everyone gathered around, except Elena, who stayed in her seat and glared daggers at Snape.

There was a moment of hushed silence, and Elena heard a small pop, then the Gryffindors burst into applause. Elena knew what had happened. Hermione had saved Neville's potion, there was no doubt of it. Snape looked sour.

"Class dismissed." He said angrily, pouring a few drops of a small bottle onto Neville's toad, and then giving it back to him.

Elena put her book, notes, and quill back into her bag and sat silently while everyone left. Harry approached her, looking concerned.

"Elena-" He began, but Elena cut him off.

"Go, Harry. I'll be fine, I'll see you later." Elena muttered.

Harry grimaced, looked at Snape, who was facing away from them, and then he left the classroom.

Elena stared at Snape's back, waiting for him to turn around. He was rearranging things in the supply cabinet. After about ten minutes, he spoke.

"How dare you speak that way to me." He said icily, without turning around.

"How dare you treat Neville like that! All he needs is a bit of help, and all you do is stand there and make fun of him in front of the entire class. He has done nothing to you." Elena said in an equally icy tone.

"Don't speak when you don't know!" Snape said angrily, turning to face her from the other side of the room.

"What could Neville have possibly done to you to make you treat him like that?! You're a professor! You're supposed to be the mature one!" Elena cried.

"Don't question my way of teaching, Miss Potter!"

"That's not teaching, that's bullying!"

"GET OUT!"

Elena didn't need telling twice. She grabbed her bag and stood up angrily, causing her chair to fall over backwards. She didn't stop to pick it up. She walked angrily to the classroom door and opened it, then slammed it behind her after she walked out.

She was looking at the stairs as she climbed and didn't notice Professor Dumbledore until she'd bumped into him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Professor, I didn't see you." She said sincerely.

"It's quite all right, Elena. Maybe you could answer a question for me." He said cheerily, beaming down at her.

"Yes, of course, what is it?" Elena asked.

"I was just wondering if that was your voice I heard raised in Professor Snape's class."

Elena blushed, embarrassed to have been heard speaking to a teacher disrespectfully by the headmaster.

"Yes, sir, I'm sorry. We don't really… Uh… Get along…" Elena muttered.

"Oh, don't think I'm angry at you. May I ask what you two were arguing about?" Dumbledore asked, sitting on the dirty steps and patting the place next to him.

Elena sat next to him, feeling a bit awkward.

"Well, It's just that he treats one of my classmates, Neville Longbottom, really poorly for no apparent reason except for the fact the Potions class is his worst subject, and I was trying to make him understand that if he would just sit down and help Neville instead of embarrassing him in front of the entire class, Neville might get better at it." Elena explained, trying to get her reasoning through to Dumbledore, since it had failed to get through to Snape.

"That's very noble of you, Elena. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for a friend in front of your peers and your teacher." Dumbledore said. "Believe it or not, I've tried to tell Professor Snape the same thing, but he wouldn't listen to me. I'm very happy that someone he truly has respect for has stood up to him."

"Truly respects? Are you kidding? Snape hates me!" Elena said, laughing.

"On the contrary, he likes you very much. I can't say the same for your brother, but I think he respects you because you stand up to him with absolute confidence. He's never had a student so utterly unafraid of him."

"I guess I get too angry to be afraid." Elena said.

Dumbledore laughed.

"I believe I'm keeping you from lunch. Go on, I think I saw your brother snag you a Panini before Mister Weasley ate them all." He said, standing up and offering his hand to Elena.

"Thank you, Sir." Elena said, beginning to climb the stairs.

"Oh, and Elena," Dumbledore called after her, and Elena paused. "Just remember that the weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." With that, he continued down the stairs and out of sight.

Elena continued climbing the stairs; Dumbledore's words were running through her brain. Could he have known she was angry at Draco? How would he know?

Elena had missed lunch; people were out of the Great Hall when she got there. Sighing, Elena turned around and headed to the Defense Against the Dark Arts room.

Professor Lupin wasn't there when she arrived to the classroom. She sat down, took out her book, quill, and parchment, and began talking to Harry, who had sat down next to her.

"Here," he said, handing her a sandwich wrapped in foil. "What kept you so long?"

"Snape wouldn't let me go for a long time. Then I ran into Dumbledore and we talked for a while."

Before Harry could reply, Lupin walked into the room.

"Good afternoon," he said. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's lesson will be a practical lesson. You need only your wands."

A few curious looks were exchanged as the class put away their books. They had never had a practical Defense Against the Dark Arts before.

"Right then," said Professor Lupin, when everyone was ready. "If you'd follow me."

Puzzled but interested, the class got to its feet and followed Professor Lupin out of the classroom. He led them along the deserted corridor and around a corner, where the first thing they saw was Peeves the Poltergeist, who was floating upside down in midair and stuffing the nearest keyhole with chewing gum. Peeves didn't look up until Proefessor Lupin was two feet away; then he wiggled his curly-toed feet and broke into song.

"Loony, loopy Lupin," Peeves sang. "Loony, loopy Lupin, loony, loopy Lupin-"

Rude and unmanageable as he always was, Peeves usually showed some respect towards teachers. Elena looked quickly at Professor Lupin to see how he would take this. To her surprise, he was still smiling.

"I'd take that gum out of the keyhole if I were you, Peeves," he said pleasantly. "Mr. Filch won't be able to get in to his brooms."

However, Peeves paid no attention to Professor Lupin's words, except to blow a loud wet raspberry.

"You're disgusting, Peeves." Elena muttered, and Peeves made kissing noises at her.

Lupin gave a small sigh and took out his wand.

"This is a useful little spell," he told the class over his shoulder. "Please watch closely."

He raised the wand to shoulder height, said, "Waddiwasi!" and pointed it at Peeves.

With the force of a bullet, the wad of gum shot out of the keyhole and straight down Peeves left nostril; he whirled upright and zoomed away, cursing.

"Shall we proceed?" Lupin asked.

He led them into the staffroom, and was about to close the door, when Snape, who had been sitting in an old armchair spoke.

"Leave it open, Lupin, I'd rather not witness this."

He got to his feet and strode past the class.

Elena was beginning to get a headache. She didn't want to be here. Defense Against the Dark Arts was always her least favorite class. She raised her hand.

"Sir?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Elena?" Lupin asked, turning to look at her.

"I have a bit of a headache, do you mind if I go to Madam Pomfrey?" She asked.

"No, not at all, go right ahead." Professor Lupin said.

Elena walked out of the staffroom, ignoring the concerned looks from Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Draco.

Elena had no intent of going to Madame Pomfrey, of course. She went straight to the picture of a bowl of fruit on the first floor, tickled the pear in the picture, and then went down into the kitchen, where she was able to snag two bottles of iced tea before being shooed out by the house elves. Then she went straight to her tower.

She climbed the stairs, kicking off her shoes as she went. After Defense Against the Dark Arts she had a free period, which meant she had about two and a half hours until dinner. She set one of her bottles of tea on her dresser, undressed to only her underwear and bra, and climbed under the covers. She though sleep and tea would make her head feel better. Before she fell asleep, Dumbledore's words played through her mind once again.

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

Elena got up quickly and opened her bag, looking for the little box with the blue paper. When she found it, she quickly scribbled a quick message.

Draco,

I'm sorry I've been such a jerk the last couple of days. Thank you for apologizing in Potions class, it meant a lot, even though I didn't show it. Please do everything you can to keep Buckbeak from losing the hearing.

Sorry again,

Elena

She whispered a quick "flyon" and the paper transformed before her eyes. She ran down the stairs to open the door for the paper butterfly, then went back upstairs and into her bed.


	35. Chapter 35

Elena woke with a start, and looking at her iHome. The screen was flashing 6:50. She had missed dinner, and only had ten minutes to get to her detention with Snape. Sighing, she stood up walked to the dresser with clothes in it. She pulled out a pair of blue skinny jeans, a white tank top, and her Gryffindor button up sweater. She looked out the window at the pouring and decided on a pair of comfy boots. Knowing Snape, he'd probably make the detention outside just to spite her. She pulled on her clothing and the boots, and grabbed a maroon hat, just in case. She twisted her hair into a tight side braid as she trudged down the stairs of her tower, knowing she couldn't let her hair get in her way. She opened the door to the darkened Great Hall. It was eerie, and she hurried past the empty teachers table and empty house tables, wanting to get to Snape's classroom as quickly as possible. She jogged down the hallways, down numerous amounts of stairs, and finally she was standing outside of Snape's classroom door. She took a deep breath and opened the door quietly.

She didn't see anyone, so she slipped in and sat down at one of the tables. The light given off by the candles placed in various locations made it seem that the shadows were jumping out at her, and Elena gave an involuntary shiver. She jumped and stifled a scream when the classroom door banged open again. Elena spun around quickly and gave a sigh of relief when she realized it was only Draco. He was dressed in jeans as well, with a green hoodie. He'd had the common sense to wear boots as well, and there was a green and silver hat on his head.

"Hey, Elena. Has Professor Snape showed up yet?" He asked, sitting in the chair next to her.

She gave him a quizzical look. Had he gotten her butterfly message?

"No. I don't think he's here yet." She replied, looking around the room at all of the jars on shelves.

"Assumptions are rarely a good thing to make." Snape said, stepping out of the shadows from behind his desk. "Follow me." He said, striding past the table that Elena and Draco were sitting at.

They got up silently, and followed him out of his classroom and all the way to the Grand Entrance of the school.

"We will be going out to the lake." Snape said dully, swishing his wand and making two rain resistant cloaks appear for Elena and Draco, who put them on hastily. "There is a certain kind of algae that is needed for the fifth year's potion tomorrow that only comes to the surface of the lake in a heavy rainstorm, such as this."

He opened the entrance, and they walked in silence, except for the sound of the rain pounding against the ground, and their footsteps squelching in the mud. Within fifteen minutes, they were at the edge of the lake, and Elena saw three small, kayak looking boats sitting on the edge of the lake.

"We're going onto the lake in boats in the middle of a rainstorm? Isn't that dangerous?" Elena yelled over the wind and rain, and as if to emphasize her point, a streak of lighting split the sky and lit up everything in whitish light for a second.

"That is what I said." Snape said loudly back, glowering at her through the dark. "Get into one of those boats." He directed them each to a boat and they got in carefully, teetering on the water, then he handed them each a large bag and a net, to collect the algae with. "When it is time to go back, I will send a red spark into the sky. You'd better be keeping an eye out, as I'll only do it once. Now go."

Elena shoved off the shore with her kayak paddle, and quickly paddled towards the center of the lake. She wasn't sure what kind of algae she was looking for, so she watched Draco, who was about ten feet away on her right. He saw her looking and waved, and then he dipped his net deep into the water, swished it around for a bit, and then pulled it out. His net was now full of glowing red and orange objects. It looked as if he'd just pulled embers from a fire out of the lake.

Elena looked over the edge of her boat, and to her amazement, about four feet down she could see the shimmer of red and orange. She dipped her net into the water, careful not to get the sleeve of the cloak she was wearing wet. She swished it about, like Draco had done, then she pulled it out. Sure enough, her net was full of the ember-y looking algae. She emptied the net into the bag, and then repeated the process.

After about nine more loads of the algae, she heard a faint shouting. She looked up to the direction of where Draco was. He was waving both arms at her and pointing at her. Confused, she looked behind her. A dark shape was coming near her. She squinted into the darkness, trying to see past the rain. It looked like a giant snake was rising out of the water. What was it?. Elena cried out and tried to paddle away, but the form was coming on fast. Before she knew it, the shape was upon her. It slammed down hard onto the front of her boat, causing her to lose her balance and almost fall sideways out of it. She screamed as the shape, no, it was a tentacle, wrapped around the front of her boat and lifted it out of the water.

She was several feet above the surface of the water now and still rising, too scared to scream anymore.

"Elena! Elena!" Came a shout from below her.

She looked down frantically to see the figures of Draco and Snape. She couldn't tell who was who.

"Elena!" The voice said again. "Elena! Jump!"

Terrified, she grabbed the bag of algae, and was climbing out of the boat, one leg out, when the tentacle began swinging the boat around, back and forth. Elena tried to keep her grip on the side, but she was slipping. There were yells from far below her, but she couldn't make out the words because of the wind and the pounding rain. Everything was so loud. She closed her eyes and let go of the boat, and she felt herself falling.

It seemed to take forever until she hit the water, and then suddenly everything was silent as she was submerged below the water's surface. The icy water clutched her lungs, causing her to lose her breath. She struggled to find which way was up, and she kicked her feet frantically. The heady cloak was weighing her down, so she shrugged it off under the water, as well as her boots. Suddenly, her head broke the surface of the water, and she looked up in time to see the gargantuan tentacle hurl her boat towards the left shore, where it slammed into a tree and burst into pieces.

There were yells and shouts from her left, and she looked to see Draco and Snape paddling furiously towards where the boat had been thrown. Did they think she was still in the boat when it had been thrown? Hadn't they seen her fall? Her Gryffindor sweater pulled her under the water again, and she tried desperately to unbutton it, but her frozen fingers wouldn't work right, and so she yanked on it until she heard the fabric give way and tear apart. Her head broke the surface of the water again, and she took a deep breath, preparing to yell "HELP," but a leathery, slimy thing slid past her arm and she let out a long, terror filled shriek instead. She could barely see the boats anymore, but she saw them turning around, and she saw the occupants looking frantically around.

"Help! Help! Help me!" Elena cried as she felt another slimy thing slide against her foot. "Oh, help me, please!" She begged, feeling the cold rain and lake water running down her face, as well as warm tears.

Her frozen arms were getting tired, and she knew she wouldn't be able to stay above the water for much longer. She tried to kick her legs but she could no longer feel them. She screamed again, and then once more in defeat as she sank below the surface for what she knew was the final time. She opened her eyes under the water, trying to see. She saw her sweater drifting lazily off to her right, moving slowly back and forth with the waves. The abandoned cloak was floating below the surface about four feet to her left, as if suspended in air. Before her eyes she saw a hand reach down and pull it halfway out of the water, and then she saw it tossed back in, as if in disgust. That was the last thing she saw before things went hazy around her eyes, and her body ached for air. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the water, and choked, tried to cough, and only breathed in more water.

"Her scream was from right over there!" Draco yelled desperately, paddling frantically back and forth, looking into the water for any signs of Elena.

He saw a discarded sweater on his right, floating on the surface.

"Here!" Came Snape's cry, and he pulled on a large piece of fabric.

Draco's excitement shriveled when he saw that it was just Elena's cloak , discarded, just like her sweater. He knew she'd taken them off to keep from sinking below the freezing water. Not that it did her much good.

Snape flung the cloak back into the water in disgust. He paddled about four feet further, and then stopped, staring intently at the water.

Here! I see her! Malfoy, come here, quickly! NOW, MALFOY!" He yelled harshly.

He began to discard clothing that would cause him to be weighed down. Cloak, cape, and shoes were tossed carelessly back into the boat as he readied himself to jump in. He was positive it was her, but she was about six feet under the surface, and still sinking.

"Be ready to grab her, Malfoy!" He yelled as he dived into the water. He kicked ferociously and reached her in less than ten seconds.

He locked his fingers around her thin, suspended wrist and dragged her after him as he ascended. Draco saw Snape's head break the surface of the water first, then Elena's, and his stomach dropped when he saw that her eyes were closed and her face was tinted blue. Draco grabbed her other wrist and pulled with all his strength until she was out of the water and into his boat.

Snape climbed into his boat quickly and moved it right up next to Draco's. He put his wand in the center of Elena's chest and said loudly "non se afogar."

Immediatly, Elena rolled over, almost off the boat again, and began coughing water out of her lungs, heaving and shivering. Snape grabbed his water resistant cloak and threw it over her, then he lifted his wand, muttered an incoherent spell, and a what seemed like amisty white figure shot out of the front of it. Before Draco could tell what the shape was, the figure had darted off over the water towards the castle. He dragged Elena into the back of his boat and then began to paddle to the nearest shore. By the time they had made it to the shore, Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey were waiting for them. Madame Pomfrey fluttered around Elena.

"I'm fine, really. I'll be okay." Elena muttered, trying to convince Madame Pomfrey.

Dumbledore pulled Snape to the side and they began to talk in hushed voices.

"What happened?" Dumbledore asks worried look, looking out at the lake.

"I believe the Giant Squid was having a temper tantrum and Miss Potter happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." Snape said dully.

"Do you have any idea waht could have made it act up?" Dumbledore asked,

"No, I have no idea. The dementors, maybe? " Snape replied.

"I'm taking them up to the castle." Madame Pomfrey stated, interrupting. "They need rest."

Dumbledore nodded. "I think we could all use some rest." He said, and with that, they all began to walk up to the castle.


	36. Chapter 36

In no time at all, the story of how Elena had been attacked by the Giant Squid and how Professor Snape had saved her life was circulating the school. Elena began to dread going to Potions class because Snape was in a particular vindictive mood. It seemed like he didn't like being known as someone who cared about other people's well being.

Elena was also growing to hate the hours spent with Harry, Ron, and Hermione in Professor Trelawney's stifling tower room, deciphering lopsided shapes and symbols, trying to ignore the way Professor Trelawney's enormous eyes filled with tears every time she looked at either Harry or her. Elena couldn't stand Professor Trelawney, even though she was treated with respect by most of the class.

Nobody really cared for Care of Magical Creatures, which, after the first class in which Draco had gotten his arm slashed, had become incredibly dull. Hagrid seemed to have lost his confidence, and Elena felt sorry for him. They were now spending lesson after lesson learning how to take care of flobberworms, which seemed to Elena to be some of the most boring creatures in existence.

"Why would anyone bother looking after them?" said Ron, after yet another hour of poking shredded lettuce down the flobberworms slimy throats.

At the start of October, however, Elena could tell Harry was getting excited. The Quidditch season was approaching, which made Elena roll her eyes, but made the rest of the school buzz with excitement.

Harry had asked Elena to watch their practices three evenings a week and she couldn't say no, not with his face shining with such determination and happiness. He was still trying to get her interested in flying, and while she found it fun, she had no interest at all in joining the team.

The weather was getting even colder and wetter, which seemed impossible, but Elena sat dutifully watching Harry practice, even as the nights got darker. But it seemed that no amount of mud, wind, or rain could tarnish the team's spirits, because every night, Elena saw that they seemed to be more and more determined.

Elena walked to the Gryffindor common room one evening after his training, cold and stiff, but happy that Harry seemed so pleased with the way the practice had gone, to find the room buzzing excitedly.

"What's happened?" Elena asked Ron and Hermione, who were sitting in two of the best chairs by the fireside and completing some charts for Astronomy.

"First Hogsmeade weekend," said Ron, pointing at a notice that had appeared on the battered old bulletin board. "End of October. Halloween."

Excellent," said Fred, who had followed Harry and Elena through the portrait hole. "I need to visit Zonko's. I'm nearly out of Stink Pellets."

Harry threw himself into the chair beside Ron, and Elena sat dejectedly at Hermione's feet. Hermione seemed to read their minds.

"I'm sure you guys will be able to go next time," she said. "They're bound to catch Black soon. He's been sighted once already."

"Black's not fool enough to try anything in Hogsmeade," said Ron. "ask McGonagall if you guys can go this time, Harry. The next one might not be for ages-"

"Ron!" said Hermione. "Harry and Elena are supposed to stay in school-"

"They can't be the only third years left behind," said Ron. "One of you should ask McGonagall, go on-"

"Yeah, I'll do it," Harry said to Elena, making up his mind.

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but at that moment Crooshanks, Hermione's cat, leapt lightly onto her lap. A large, dead spider was dangling from his mouth.

"Does he have to eat that in front of us?" said Ron, scowling.

"Clever Crookshanks, did you catch that all by yourself?" Elena asked, reaching up and scratching him behind the ears.

Crookshanks slowly chewed up the spider, his yellow eyes fixed insolently on Ron.

"Just keep him over there, that's all," said Ron irritably, turning back to his star chart. "I've got Scabbers asleep in my bag."

Elena yawned. She really wanted to go back to her tower and go to bed, but she still had her own star chart to complete, and what better place to do it than here in the common room where she could get Hermione's help? She pulled her bag towards her, took out parchment, ink, and quill, and started to work.

"You can copy mine, if you like," said Ron, labeling his last star with a flourish and shoving the chart towards Elena.

Hermione, who disapproved of copying, pursed her lips but didn't say anything. Crookshanks was still staring unblinkingly at Ron, flicking the end of his bushy tail so that it tickled the top of Elena's ear. Then, without warning, he pounced.

"OY!" Ron roared, seizing his bag as Crookshanks sank four sets of claws deep inside and began tearing ferociously. "GET OFF, YOU STUPID ANIMAL!"

Ron tried to pull the bag away from Crookshanks, but Crookshanks clung on, spitting and slashing.

"Ron, don't hurt him!" squealed Hermione; the whole common room was watching, and Elena turned red at her friend's behavior and put her head in her hands. Ron whirled the bag around, Crookshanks still clinging to it, and Scabbers came flying out of the top-

"CATCH THAT CAT!" Ron yelled as Crookshanks freed himself from the remnants of the bag, sprang of the table, and chased after a terrified Scabbers.

Elena rolled her eyes and stood up, leaving through the portrait hole and going to her own, solitary tower, where Nightshade was sleeping quietly enough for Elena to do her star chart in peace.

Ron was still in a bad mood with Hermione the next day. He barely talked to her all through Herbology, even though he, Elena, Harry, and Hermione were working together on the same puffapod.

"How's Scabbers?" Hermione asked timidly as they stripped fat pink pods from the plants and emptied the shining beans into a wooden pail.

"He's hiding at the bottom of my bed, shaking," said Ron angrily, missing the pail and scattering the beans all over the greenhouse floor under Elena's feet.

"Careful, Weasley, Careful!" cried Professor Sprout as Elena jumped to the side to avoid being hit by the beans as they burst into bloom before their very eyes.

They had Transfigurations next. When they got into the class, Ron and Hermione seated themselves on either side of Elena and Harry and refused to talk to each other the entire class.

Elena knew that Harry hadn't decided what he was going to say to Professor McGonagall when the bell rang at the end of class, because he looked flustered and gulped nervously. However, it was McGonagall who brought up the subject first.

"One moment, please!" she called as the class made to leave. "As you're all in my House, you should hand Hogsmeade permission forms to me before Halloween. No form, no visiting the village, so don't forget!"

"Ask her now," Elena hissed at Harry.

"Oh, but-" Hermione began.

"Go for it, Harry," said Ron stubbornly.

Harry and Elena waited for the rest of the class to disappear, then Harry headed nervously for Professor McGonagall's desk.

"Yes, Potter?"

Elena took a deep breath and waited.

"Professor, out aunt and uncle—ere—forgot to sign our forms," he said.

Professor McGonagall looked over her square spectacles at him, and then at Elena, but didn't say anything.

"So—ere—d'you think it would be all right—I mean, will it be okay if we—if we go to Hogsmeade?"

Professor McGonagall looked down and began shuffling papers on her desk.

"I'm afraid not, Potter," she said. "You heard what I said. No form, no visiting the village. That's the rule."

"But-Professor, our aunt and uncle—you know, they're Muggles, they don't really understand about—about Hogwarts forms and stuff," Elena tried, while Ron urged her on with vigorous nods "If you said we could go-"

"But I don't say so," said Professor McGonagall, standing up and piling her papers neatly into a drawer. "The form clearly states that the parent or guardian must give permission." She turned to look at the two Potters, with an odd expression on her face. Was it pity? "I'm sorry, but that's my final word. You had better hurry, or you'll be late for your next lesson."

There was nothing to be done. Ron called Professor McGonagall a lot of names that greatly annoyed Hermione; Hermione assumed an "all-for-the-best' expression that made Ron even angrier, and Harry and Elena had to endure everyone in the class talking loudly and happily about what they were going to do first, once they got into Hogsmeade.

"There's always the feast," said Ron, in an effort to cheer Elena and Harry up. "You know, the Halloween feast, in the evening."

"Yeah," said Harry gloomily, "great."

The Halloween feast was always good, but it would taste a lot better if they were coming to it after a day in Hogsmeade after everyone else. Nothing anyone said made either of them any happier about being left behind.

On Halloween morning, Elena awoke and went down to breakfast, feeling thoroughly depressed, and met up with the others at the Gryffindor table, trying to act normally.

"We'll bring you back lots of sweets from Honeydukes," said Hermione, looking desperately sorry for them.

"Yeah, loads," said Ron. He and Hermione had finally forgotten their squabble about Crookshanks in the face of Harry and Elena's difficulties.

"Don't worry about us," said Harry.

"Yeah, we'll see you at the feast. Have a good time." Elena said in what she hoped was an offhand voice.

They accompanied Ron and Hermione to the front entrance, where Filch was standing inside the front doors, checking off names against a long list, peering suspiciously into every face and making sure no one was sneaking out who shouldn't be going.

"Are you staying here, Elena?" Draco asked, coming up beside her.

"Yeah." Elena muttered.

"That sucks. Maybe next time, then?" he asked, looking crestfallen.

"Maybe." Elena said, and followed Harry up the marble staircase, through the deserted corridors, and back to the Gryffindor towers.

"Password?" said the Fat Lady, jerking out of a doze.

"Fortuna Major," said Elena listlessly.

The portrait swung open and they climbed through the hole into the common room. It was full of chattering first and second years, and a few older students, who had obviously visited Hogsmeade so often that the Novelty had worn off.

"Harry! Harry! Hi, Harry!" Elena and Harry looked to their right and saw a small boy jumping up and down.

It was Colin Creevy, a second year who was deeply in awe of Harry and never missed an opportunity to speak to him.

"Aren't you going to Hogsmeade Harry? Why not? Hey'—Colin looked eagerly around at his friends—"you can come sit with us, if you like, Harry. Oh, and Elena, too!"

"Er-, no thanks, Colin," Harry said, and Elena shook her head.

"We've got to go to the library and get some work done, haven't we, Harry?"

Harry nodded, and after that, they had no choice but to turn right around and head back out of the portrait hole again.

But Harry and Elena didn't go to the library; they climbed a staircase, and were walking along another corridor when a voice from inside one of the rooms said, "Harry? Elena?"

They doubled back to see who had spokenand met Professor Lupin, looking around his office door.

"What are you two doing?" said Lupin. "Where are Ron and Hermione?"

"Hogsmeade," said Elena in a would-be casual voice.

"Ah," said Lupin. He considered the two of them for a moment. "Why don't you two come in? I've just taken a delivery of a grindylow for our next lesson."

"A what?" said Harry.

They followed Lupin into his office. In the corner of his office stood a very large tank of water. A sickly green creature with sharp little horns had its face pressed against the glass, pulling faces and flexing its long, spindly fingers.

"Water demon," said Lupin, surveying the grindylow thoughtfully. "We shouldn't have much difficulty with him, not after the kappas. The trick is to break his grip. You notice the abnormally long fingers? Strong, but very brittle."

The grindylow bared its green teeth and then buried itself in a tangle of weeds in the corner.

"Cup of tea?" Lupin said, looking around for his kettle. "I was just thinking of making one."

"All right," said Harry awkwardly.

"Yes, thank you." Said Elena, peering into the grindylow tank.

Lupin tapped the kettle with his wand and a blast of steam issued suddenly from the spout.

"Sit down," said Lupin, taking the lid off a dusty tin. "I've only got teabags, I'm afraid—but I daresay you've had enough of tea leaves?"

Elena looked at him. Lupin's eyes were twinkling.

"Here you are," handing a cup to Harry, and then handing one to Elena.

"How did you know about that?" Elena asked, remembering back to the day in Divination when Professor Trelawney claimed to have seen The Grim in Harry's cup.

"Professor McGonagall told me," said Lupin. "You're not worried, are you?"

"No," said Harry.

Elena thought for a moment of telling Lupin about the dog they'd seen in Magnolia Crescent but decided not to. She didn't want Lupin to think she was a coward.

"How are you feeling, Elena? No post traumatic stress from that squid attack?" Lupin asked pleasantly.

"Oh, no. I was scared at the time, but I'm fine now. Dumbledore said that the dementors might be scaring it. They are creepy, so I don't blame it." Elena replied, looking out the window.

"Professor Snape told me you almost died." Lupin said.

"Yes, the water was cold." Said Elena, shivering at the thought. "And it was raining, so I couldn't see very well."

"I see," said Lupin thoughtfully. "Well, well… I'm impressed. Not many people can claim that they were attacked by the giant squid and lived. Harry, do you have a question?"

"Well, sir, I was just wondering why you didn't let me fight that boggart." Elena looked curiously at Harry. "The day you got a headache," Harry explained. "We were fighting a boggart."

"Well," Lupin began, frowning slightly, "I assumed that if the boggart faced you, it would assume the shape of Lord Voldemort. Clearly I was wrong, but I didn't think it would be a good idea for Lord Voldemort to materialize in the staffroom. I imagined that people would panic."

"I didn't think of Voldemort," said Harry honestly. "I—I remembered those dementors."

"So you've been thinking that I didn't believe you were capable of fighting the boggart?" said Lupin shrewdly.

"Well…yeah," said Harry. "Professor Lupin, you know the dementors-"

He was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in," called Lupin.

The door opened, and in came Snape. Elena growled silently and ground her teeth. Snape was carrying a goblet, which was smoking faintly, and stopped at the sight of Harry and Elena, his black eyes narrowing.

"Ah, Severus," said Lupin, smiling. "Thanks very much. Could you leave it hear on the desk for me?"

Snape set down the smoking goblet, his eyes wandering between Elena, Harry, and Lupin.

"I was just showing Harry and Elena my grindylow," said Lupin pleasantly, pointing at the tank.

"Fascinating," said Snape without looking at it. "You should drink that directly, Lupin."

"Yes, yes, I will," said Lupin.

"I made an entire cauldron full, if you need more." Snape continued.

"I should probably take some again tomorrow. Thanks very much, Severus."

"Not at all," said Snape, but there was a look in his eye that Elena didn't like. He backed out of the room, unsmiling and watchful.

Elena looked curiously at the goblet. Lupin smiled.

"Professor Snape has very kindly concocted a potion for me," he said. "I have never been much of a potion-brewer and this one is particularly complex." He picked up the goblet and sniffed it. "Pity sugar makes it useless," he added, taking a sip and shuddering.

"Why—?" Elena began. Lupin looked at him and answered the unfinished question.

"I've been feeling a bit off color," he said. "This potion is the only thing that helps. I am very lucky to be working alongside Professor Snape; there aren't many wizards who are up to making it." Lupin drained the goblet and pulled a face.

"Disgusting," he said. "Well, you two, I'd better get back to work. I'll see you two at the feast later."

"Right," said Harry, putting down his empty cup.

"Thank you," Elena said, finishing her tea quickly and setting it next to Harry's.

The empty goblet was still smoking when they left.

"There you go," said Ron. "We got as much as we could carry."

A shower of brilliantly colored sweets fell into Harry and Elena's laps. It was dusk, and Ron and Hermione had just turned up in the common room, pink-faced from the cold wind and looking as if they'd just had the time of their lives.

"We'd better go down, you know, the feast'll be starting in five minutes…" Hermione said, checking her watch.

They reached the entrance hall and crossed into the Great Hall. It had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes.

The feast ended with entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a bit of formation gliding; Nearly-Headless Nick had a great success with a reenactment of his own botched beheading.

Elena followed Harry, Ron, and Hermione along the usual path to the Gryffindor common room, planning on spending a couple hours with them before going back to her solitary tower, but when they reached the corridor that ended with the portrait of the Fat Lady, they found it jammed with students.

"Why isn't anyone going in?" said Ron curiously.

Elena peered over the heads ahead of them. The portrait seemed to be closed.

"Let me through, please," came Percy's voice and he came bustling importantly through the crowd. "What's the holdup here? You can't all have forgotten the password—excuse me, I'm head boy-"

And then silence fell over the crowd, from the front first, so that a chill seemed to spread through the corridor. They heard Percy say, in a suddenly sharp voice, "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick."

People's heads turned; those at the back were standing on tiptoe.

"What's going on?" said Ginny, who had just arrived.

A moment later, Professor Dumbledore was there, sweeping toward the portrait; the Gryffindors squeezed together to let him through, and Harry, Elena, Ron, and Hermione moved closer to see what the trouble was.

"Oh, my—" Elena grabbed Harry's arm.

The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor. Great chunks of it had been torn away completely.

Dumbledore took one quick look at the ruined painting and turned, his eyes somber, to see Professor McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape hurrying toward him.

"We need to find her," said Dumbledore. "Professor McGonagall, please go tell Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle to find the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky!" said a cackling voice.

It was Peeves the Poltergeist, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry.

'What do you mean, Peeves?" said Dumbledore calmly, and Peeve's grin faded a little. He didn't dare taunt Professor Dumbledore. Instead he adopted an oily voice that was no better than his cackle.

"Ashamed, your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between trees. Crying something dreadful," he said happily. "Poor thing," he added as an afterthought. It wasn't very convincing.

"Did she say who did it?" said Dumbledore quietly.

"Oh yes, Professorhead," said Peeves, with the air of one cradling a large bombshellin his arms. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see." Peeves flipped over and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs. "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."


	37. Chapter 37

Professor Dumbledore sent all the Gryffindors back to the Great Hall, where they were joined ten minutes later by the students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, who all looked extremely confused.

"Elena, what's going on?" Draco asked, coming up behind her.

"Apparently Sirius Black attempted to get into the Gryffindor tower." Elena said, shaking at the thought.

"Wait, so he's here in the school?!" Draco exclaimed.

"Supposedly." Elena replied, looking around at the hundreds of worried faces around her.

"The teachers will need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told the crowd of students as Professor McGongall and Flitwick closed all the doors into the hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. "Send word with one of the ghosts."

Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh yes, you'll be needing.."

One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.

"Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, about to close the doors behind him.

"Wait, Professor!" Elena called out, worming her way through the crowd until she was standing before him. "I was wondering if, maybe, you know... My room is right behind the teachers table, and maybe I could bring some of my friends up their tonight-"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows and looked at her skeptically.

"Just Hermione and Ginny, of course," Elena said quickly.

"I'd feel better if you were here with the rest, where you can be under supervision in case something happens." Dumbledore said. "I'm sorry, Elena, it's just not safe right now. I'll have one of the ghosts search your room immediately, however, to make sure it's clear." He said softly, patting her head. " Sleep well." He closed the door, and the hall began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindors were telling the school what had happened.

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" Shouted Percy. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

Elena made her way back to where she had left Draco. He was gone, of course, so she waded through the sleeping bags and people until she got to where Hermione, Ron, and Harry were standing.

"C'mon," Ron said to them; they seized four sleeping bags and dragged them into a corner.

"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione whispered anxiously.

"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," said Ron.

"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know," said Hermione as she, Harry, and Ron climbed into their sleeping bags fully dressed, while Elena remained standing, looking out over the sea of purple bags, trying to spot Draco.

"Yeah. The one night we weren't in the tower..." Elena muttered.

"I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run," said Ron. "Didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here."

Elena shuddered.

All around them, people were asking one another the same question: "How did he get in?"

"Maybe he knows how to Apparate," said a Hufflepuff a few feet away. "Just appear out of thin air, you know."

"Disguised himself, probably," said a Slytherin fifth year.

"He could have flown in," suggested Dean Thomas.

"Honestly, am I the only person who's ever bothered to read Hogwarts: A History?" said Hermione crossly to Elena, Harry, and Ron.

"Probably," said Elena, still standing. "Why?"

"Because the castles protected by more than just walls, you know," said Hermione. "There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here. And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seen him fly in, too. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll have them covered..."

"The lights are going out, now!" Percy shouted. "Elena, get into you sleeping bag! No more talking! Elena, now!"

The candles went out at once. Elena climbed into her sleeping bag and rolled onto her side so that she was facing Ron, Harry, and Hermione. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars. What with that, and the whispering that still filled the hall, Elena felt as though she were sleeping outside in a light wind.

Once every hour, a teacher would reappear in the hall to check that everything was quiet. Around three in the morning, when many students had finally fallen asleep, Professor Dumbledore came in. Elena watched him looking around for Percy, who had been prowling between the sleeping bags, telling people off for talking. Percy was only a short way away from Elena, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who all quickly pretended to be asleep as Dumbledore's footsteps drew nearer.

"Any sign of him, Professor?" asked Percy in a whisper.

"No. All well here?"

"Everything under control, sir."

"Good. There's no point moving them all now. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able to move them back in tomorrow.

"And the Fat Lady, sir?"

"Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently she refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked. She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr. Filch restore her."

Elena heard the door of the hall creak open again, and more footsteps.

"Headmaster?" It was Snape. Elena kept quite still, listening hard. "The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either."

"What about the astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?"

"All searched..."

"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger."

"Have you any theory as to how he got in, professor?" asked Snape.

Elena raised her head a little off her arms to free her other ear, and she sensed Harry doing the same.

"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next."

Elena opened her eyes a fraction and squinted up to where they stood; Dumbledore's back was to her, but she could see Percy's face, rapt with attention, and Snape's profile, which looked angry.

"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before- ah - the start of term?" said Snape, who was barely opening his lips, as though trying to block Percy out of the conversation.

"I do, Severus," said Dumbledore, and there was something like warning in his voice.

"It seems almost impossible that Black could have entered school without inside help. I did express my concern when you appointed-"

"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," said Dumbledore, and his tone made it so clear that the subject was closed that Snape didn't reply. "I must go down to the dementors," said Dumbledore. "I said I would inform them when our search was complete."

"Didn't they want to help, sir?" said Percy.

"Oh, yes," said Dumbledore coldly. "But I'm afraid no dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am headmaster."

Percy looked slightly abashed. Dumbledore left the hall, walking quickly and quietly. Snape stood for a moment, watching the headmaster with an expression of deep resentment on his face; he looked down and for a terrifying moment, Elena thought his eyes locked with hers for a moment, before he too, left.

Elena glanced sideways at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. All three of them had their eyes open, too, reflecting the starry ceiling.

"What was that all about?" Ron mouthed.

The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black the next few days. The theories about how he had entered the castle became wilder and wilder; Hannah Abbott, from Hufflepuff, spent much of their next Herbology class telling anyone who'd listen that Black could turn into a flowering shrub.

The Fat Lady's ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and replaced with the portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat gray pony. Nobody was very happy about this. Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day.

"He's a complete lunatic," said Ron to Percy. "Can't we get anyone else?"

"None of the other pictures want the job," said Percy. "Frightened of what happened to the Fat Lady. Sir Cadogan was the only one brave enough to volunteer."

Sir Cadogan was the least of Elena's worries, however. She and Harry were now being closely watched. Teachers found excuses to walk along corridors with them, and Percy Weasley (acting, Elena suspected, on his mothers orders) was tailing them everywhere like an overprotective, extremely pompous guard dog. To cap it all, Professor McGonagall summoned them both into her office, with such a somber look on her face Elena thought someone must have died.

"There's no point hiding it any longer from you two," she said in a serious voice. "I know this will come as a shock to you, but Sirius Black-"

"We know he's after us," said Elena wearily, and Harry nodded. "I heard Ron's dad telling his mum. Mr. Weasley works for the Ministry of Magic."

Professor McGonagall seemed very taken aback. She stared at the two of them for a moment or two, the said "I see! Well, in that case, you'll understand why I don't think it's a good idea for you to be practicing Quidditch in the evenings." She said, turning to Harry. "Or to have you watch," She said to Elena. "Out on the field with only the team, it's very exposed-"

"We've got our first match on Saturday!" Harry said, outraged. "I've got to train, Professor! And Elena enjoys watching, don't you?" Harry asked.

"Oh, yeah, definitely!" Elena lied, smiling brightly.

Professor McGonagall considered them intently. Elena knew McGonagall was very interested in the Gryffindor teams prospects; it had been she, after all, who'd suggested Harry as Seeker in the first place. Harry and Elena waited, holding their breath.

"Hmm..." Professor McGonagall stood up and stared out the window at the Quidditch field, barely visible through the rain.

"Well, goodness knows I'd like to see us win the cup at last... but all the same... I'd be happier if a teacher were present. I'll ask Madame Hooch to oversee training sessions."

The weather worsened steadily as the first Quidditch match drew nearer. Undaunted, the Gryffindor team was training harder than ever under the eyes of Madame Hooch and Elena, who was sitting next to her, holding an umbrella that was utterly useless and wishing that she were inside. Elena was standing in the field with Harry at the teams final training session before Saturday's match, when Oliver Wood gave the team some unwelcome news.

"We're not playing Slytherin!" he told them, looking very angry.

"Flint's just been to see me. We're playing Hufflepuff instead."

"Why?" chorused the rest of the team, but Elena stayed silent.

"Flint's excuse was that the team is sick.," Wood said, grinding his teeth furiously. "But it's obvious he just doesn't want to play in this weather. He think's it'll damage their chances..."

There had been strong winds and heavy rains all day, and as Wood spoke, there was a distant rumble of thunder.

"They're not sick!" said Harry furiously. "They're faking it!"

I know that, but we can't prove it," said Wood bitterly. "And we've been practicing all those moves assuming we're playing Slytherin, and instead it's Hufflepuff, and their style's quite different. They've got a new Captain and Seeker, Cedric Diggory-"

Angelina, Alicia, and Katie suddenly giggled.

"What?" said Wood, frowning at this lighthearted behavior.

"He's that tall, good-looking one, isn't he?" said Angelina.

Elena had to agree with that. He was tall, with a fine jaw and dark eyes. She'd seen him around the castle, and he'd always been surrounded by a crowd of friends.

"Strong and silent." Katie said, and she started giggling again.

"He's only silent because he's too thick to string two words together," said Fred impatiently. "I don't know why you're worried, Oliver, Hufflepuff is a pushover. Last time we played them, Harry caught the snitch in about five minutes, remember?"

"We were playing in completely different conditions!" Wood shouted, his eyes bulging slightly. "Diggory's put together a very strong side! He's an excellent seeker! I was afraid you'd take it like this! We mustn't relax!We must keep our focus! Slytherin is trying to wrong-foot us! We must win!"

"Oliver, calm down!" Fred said, looking slightly alarmed. "We're taking Hufflepuff very seriously. Seriously."

The day before the match, the winds reached howling point and the rain was falling harder than ever. It was so dark inside the corridors and classrooms that extra torches and lanterns were lit. The Slytherin team was looking very smug indeed, all except Draco, who looked rather guilty and upset.

Harry had no room in his head to worry about anything except the match tomorrow, and so Elena was writing down notes and assignments from each class for both of them. Oliver Wood kept hurrying up to Elena and Harry between classes and giving Harry tips. The third time this happened, Wood talked for so long that Elena suddenly realized that they were ten minutes late for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and she had to pull Harry along as Wood shouted after them, "Diggory's got a very fast swerve, Harry, so you might want to try looping him-"

Elena skidded to a halt outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Harry still in tow, and pulled the door open.

"Sorry we're late, Professor Lupin, we-"

But it wasn't Professor Lupin who looked up at him from the teachers desk; it was Snape.

"This lesson began ten minutes ago, so I think we'll make it ten points from Gryffindor, each. Sit down."

They didn't move.

"Where's Professor Lupin?" Harry said.

"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today," said Snape with a twisted smile. "I believe I told you to sit down?"

Elena and Harry stayed where they were.

"What's wrong with him?" Elena asked.

Snape's black eyes glittered.

"Nothing life-threatening," he said, looking as though he wished it were. "Five more points from Gryffindor, and if I have to ask again, it will be fifty."

Harry and Elena walked slowly to their seats and sat down. Snape looked around at the class.

"As I was saying before the Potters interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far-"

"Please, sir, we've done boggarts, Red Caps, kappas, and grindylows," said Hermione quickly, "and we're just about to start-"

"Be quiet," said Snape coldly. "I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organization."

"He's the best defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had," said Dean Thomas boldly, and there w as a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Snape looked more menacing than ever.

'You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing you- I would expect first years to be able to handle Red Caps and grindylows. Today we shall discuss-"

Elena watched him flick through the textbook, to the very back chapter, which he must know they hadn't covered.

"-werewolves," said Snape.

'But, sir," said Hermione, seemingly unable to restrain herself, "we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start hinkypunks-"

"Miss Granger," said Snape in a deadly calm voice, "I was under the impression that I am teaching the lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394." He glanced around again. "All of you! Now!"

With many bitter sidelong looks and some sullen muttering, the class opened their books.

"Which one of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" said Snape.

Everyone sat motionless and silent; everyone except Hermione, whose hand, as it often did, had shot straight into the air.

"Anyone?" Snape said, ignoring Hermione. His twisted smile was back. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between-"

"we told you," said Parvati suddenly, "we haven't gotten as far as werewolves yet, we're still on-"

"Silence!" snarled Snape. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are..."

"Please, sir," said Hermione, whose hand was still in the air, "the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. the snout of the werewolf-"

"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," said Snape cooly. "Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."

Hermione went very red, put down her hand, and stared at the floor with her eyes full of tears. It was a mark of how much the class loathed Snape that they were all glaring at him, because every one of then had called Hermione a know-it-all at least once, and Elena said loudly, "You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?"

She, as well as the rest of the class, instantly knew she had gone too far, but Elena didn't care. Snape advanced on her slowly, and the room held its breath.

"Detention, Potter," said Snape silkily, his face very close to Elena's. "An d if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach my class again, you will be very sorry indeed."

No one made a sound throughout the rest of the lesson. They sat and made notes on werewolves from the textbook, while Snape prowled up and down the rows of desks, examining the work they had been doing with Professor Lupin. Elena wanted to stick out her foot and trip him very much, but that would definitely get her another detention, if not worse. He walked over to he and looked through her papers.

"Very poorly explained... That is incorrect, the kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia.. Professor Lupin gave this an eight out of ten? I wouldn't have given it a three..."

When the bell rang at last, Snape held them back.

"You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Miss Potter, stay behind, we need to arrange your detention".

Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the room with the rest of the class, and Elena stormed out a few minutes later.

"Ugh! I hate him! Do you know what that"- (she called Snape something that made Hermione say "Elena!") - "is making me do? I've got to scrub out the bedpans in the hospital wing. Without magic!" She was breathing deeply, her fists clenched. "Why couldn't Black have hidden in Snape's office! He could have finished him off for us!"

Elena woke extremely early the next morning; so early that it was still dark. For a moment she thought the roaring of the wind had woken her. Then she felt a cold breeze on the back of her neck and sat bolt upright- Peeves the Poltergeist had been floating next to her, blowing hard in her ear.

"What did you do that for?" said Elena furiously.

Peeves puffed out his cheeks, blew hard, and zoomed down her tower stairs and out the door.

"Don't think I won't be telling Professor Dumbledore!" she yelled after him. "No ghosts or poltergeist allowed in this tower!"

Elena fumbled for her iHome alarm clock and looked at it. It was half past four. Cursing Peeves, she rolled over and tried to get back to sleep, but it was very difficult, now that she was awake, to ignore the sounds of the thunder rumbling overhead, the pounding of the wind against the castle walls, and the distant creaking of the trees in the Forbidden Forest. In a few hours she would be sitting in the stands surrounding the Quidditch field, trying to watch the game through that gale. She could only imagine how Harry was feeling right now, and the rest of the Gryffindor team. Finally, she gave up any thought of more sleep, got up, dressed quickly in warm red and gold clothing, and put a hat, scarf, windbreaker, and pair of gloves in her bag. She pulled on some warm boots and grabbed her wand, putting it in her arm sheath. Before she headed downstairs to sit in her chair by the fireplace, she brushed her hair quickly and grabbed a book and her iPod.

Elena knew better than to think that the match would be cancelled; Quidditch matches weren't called off for trifles like thunderstorms. Nevertheless, she was starting to feel apprehensive. Wood had pointed out Diggory to her and Harry in the corridor; Diggory was a fifth year and a lot bigger than Harry. Seekers were usually light and speedy, but Diggory's weight would be an advantage in this weather because he was less likely to be blown off course. Elena whiled away the hours until dawn in front of the fire reading her book and listening to her iPod. At long last Elena thought it must be time for breakfast, so she dog eared the page she was on and set the book down, then pulled out her headphones and set her iPod on top of the book. She quickly grabbed her bag and left her tower, hoping the teachers weren't at their table yet.

Elena saw Harry and sat down next to him. He wasn't eating, so she pushed a big bowl of oatmeal in front of him and he ate reluctantly. By the time Elena had given Harry three pieces of toast, and forced one down herself under Hermione's watchful eyes, the rest of the team had appeared.

"It's going to be a tough one," said Wood, who also wasn't eating anything.

"Stop worrying, Oliver," said Alicia soothingly, "we don't mind a bit of rain."

But it was considerable more than a bit of rain. By the time Elena had said goodbye to Harry and the rest of the team, who were headed to the locker rooms, and had headed towards the Quidditch Pitch with Ron and Hermione, many people were already soaked through. Such was the popularity of Quidditch that the whole school turned out to watch the match as usual, but they ran down the lawns towards the Quidditch fiend, heads bowed against the ferocious wind, umbrellas being whipped out of their hands as they went. Elena saw Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle waving to her from under an enormous umbrella on their way to the stadium.

"I'm going to sit with Draco!" Elena said loudly so that Hermione could hear her over the rain and thunder.

Hermione nodded and she ran over to Draco, ducking to get under their umbrella. Once under, she donned her hat, windbreaker, scarf, and gloves, knowing that she would get cold soon.

The wind was so strong once all four of them were in the stands that when the teams walked onto the field, they were staggering. Elena was wondering if Harry could even hear the crowd cheering. She looked around briefly, and saw that they were seated about four rows in front of Snape. She could barely see the field, however, because her hair was whipping around her face. How was Harry going to see the snitch in this?

The Hufflepuff's were approaching from the opposite side of the field, wearing canary-yellow robes. The captains walked over to each other and shook hands. Elena watched as both teams mounted their brooms, and then suddenly the players were zooming around the field. Elena had never really been into Quidditch, but she cheered right along with the crowd whenever Gryffindor got ten points. She tried to watch Harry, who she thought was the one flying backwards and forwards across the field.

Elena lost track of time. The sky was getting darker, as though night had decided to come early. All of the players were now so wet, and the rain was so thick, Elena couldn't tell them apart. With the first sound of lighting came a shrill sound which Elena could only guess was Madam Hooch's whistle; one of the teams must have called for a time out. Elena could see each team huddled at different ends of the field under large umbrellas.

"What's the score, Draco? I can't hear the commentary?" Elena asked.

"I think Gryffindor is fifty points up. Maybe sixty. I can't hear well, either." Draco said, disgusted.

Elena smirked and looked back at the field, where the players were already flying around again. Ten minutes later there was another clap of thunder, followed immediately by forked lightning. The game was getting more and more dangerous, and Elena was getting more and more worried about Harry. He needed to find the Snitch quickly... Elena looked around the stands, trying to make out faces, and at that moment, there was another flash of lighting and it illuminated the stands, and Elena saw something that distracted her completely- the silhouette of an enormous shaggy black dog, clearly imprinted against the sky in the topmost, empty row of seats.

Elena went numb, and she used her hand to wipe her soaked bangs out of her face and then squinted back at the stands. The dog was gone. She tried to watch the game again but something odd was happening. An eerily silence was falling across the stadium. The wind, though strong as ever, was forgetting to roar. It was as though someone had turned off the sound, as though Elena had suddenly deaf- what was going on?"

And then a horribly familiar wave of cold had swept over her, inside of her, just as she came aware of something moving on the field below...

Before she had time to think, Elena had taken her eyes off the game. At least a hundred dementors, their hidden faces pointing up at the team members, were standing in the field. It was as though freezing water were rising in Elena's chest, cutting at her insides. She heard screaming from people around her and looked up to see a figure topple off their broomstick about two hundred feet in the air and start falling towards the ground at a terrifying speed. She knew immediately who it was.

"HARRY!" She screamed, standing upright and causing the umbrella to fly out of Goyle's hand and get carried away from the wind. "HARRY!"

She tried to run from the stands and to the field, but a pair of strong arms wrapped around her middle and pulled her away from the stand stairs. Her whole body felt icy and she screamed Harry's name again, trying to pull free from the arms that held her. She could't see anything. Her hat had fallen off and she was soaked, which made it even harder to move.

"Let go! Please! HARRY!" She screamed again, her voice lost in the other screams from the stands.

She looked out to the field and saw a bearded figure-Dumbledore- run out onto the field. He waved his wand and Harry, who was still on his deadly decent towards the ground, slowed down and landed by Dumbledore's feet. He turned around and waved his wand again and silver stuff shot out of his wand. The dementors fled immediately.

Elena felt the arms around her loosen, but the weren't removed. She watched numbly as Harry was magicked onto a stretcher and she knew that he was going to the hospital wing. Suddenly the stands were full of bustling bodies, people frantically pushing and shoving in a panic to get inside the castle before the dementors came back, but Elena knew they wouldn't come back, so she freed herself from the arms restraining her and looked up to where Harry had fallen from, and then to where she'd seen the dog. It was the Grim, she knew, and it was trying to kill them.


	38. Chapter 38

"Lucky the ground was soft."

"I thought he was dead for sure."

"But he didn't even break his glasses."

Elena looked down at her brother, looking for any movement that would indicate if he was waking up. She was holding his hand, urging him to wake up quickly. She wondered if he'd seen the Grim, too, and if that was the reason he'd fallen.

"That was the scariest thing I ever saw in all my life."

Harry's eyes snapped open.

"What? Where?" He began, but Elena shushed him.

"You're in the hospital wing, Harry. It's okay." Elena said, reaching to help him sit up.

"Harry!" said Fred, who looked extremely white underneath the mud that was covering him. "How're you feeling?"

"What happened?" Harry asked, letting Elena support him as he sat up to face them.

"You fell off your broom," said Fred. "Must've been-what-a hundred feet?"

"We thought you'd died," said Alicia, who was shaking.

Hermione made a small, squeaky noise. Her eyes were extremely bloodshot.

"But the match," said Harry. "What happened? Are we doing a replay?"

Everyone was silent.

"We didn't-lose?"

"Diggory got the Snitch," said George. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square... Even Wood admits it."

"Where is Wood?" Harry asked, looking around.

"Still in the showers," Elena said. "We think he's trying to drown himself."

Harry put his face in his knees, his hands gripping his hair. Fred grabbed his shoulder and shook it roughly.

"C'mon, Harry, you've never missed the Snitch before."

"There had to be one time you didn't get it." said George.

"It's not over yet," said Elena, making everyone look at her. " Gryffindor lost by one hundred points, right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and Gryffindor beats Ravenclaw and Slytherin..."

"Hufflepuff will have to lose by at least two hundred points," said George.

"But if they beat Ravenclaw..."

"No way, Ravenclaw is too good, but if Slytherin loses against Hufflepuff..."

"It all depends on the points- a margin of a hundred points either way-"

Elena noticed that Harry was just laying there, not saying a word. She knew how disappointed in himself he must be. Gryffindor had lost. For the first time ever, Gryffindor had lost a Quidditch match.

After ten minutes or so, Madam Pomfrey came over to tell the team to leave Harry in peace.

"We'll come see you later," Fred told him. "Don't beat yourself up, Harry, you're still the best seeker we've ever had."

The team trooped out, trailing mud behind them. Madam Pomfrey shut the door behind them, looking disapproving. Ron, Elena, and Hermione moved nearer to Harry's bed.

'Dumbledore was really angry," Hermione said with a quaking voice. "I've never seen him like that before. He ran onto the field as you fell, waved his wand, and you sort of slowed down before you hit the ground. The he whirled his wand at the dementors. Shot silver stuff at them. They left the stadium right away... He was furious they'd come onto the grounds. We heard him-"

"Then he magicked you onto a stretcher," said Ron. "And walked up to school with you floating on it. Everyone thought you were..."

"Did somebody get my Nimbus?" Harry asked suddenly.

Ron, Hermione, and Elena looked at each other quickly.

"Er-"

"What?" said Harry, looking from one to the other.

"Well... when you fell off, it got blown away," said Hermione hesitantly.

"And?"

"And it hit- it hit- oh, Harry- it hit the Whomping Willow." Elena said.

She watched Harry jerk back as if he'd been shot. The Whomping Willow was a very violent tree that stood alone in the middle of the grounds.

"And?" He asked, his voice shaking.

"Well, you know the Whomping Willow," said Elena. "It- it doesn't like being hit. Professor Flitwick brought it back just before you came around," she said in a very small voice.

Slowly she reached down for a bag at her feet, turned it upside down, and tipped a dozen bits of splintered wood and twig onto the bed, the only remains of Harry's faithful, finally beaten broomstick.

Madame Pomfrey insisted on keeping Harry in the hospital wing for the rest of the weekend. He didn't complain or argue, but he wouldn't let her throw away the shattered remnants of his Nimbus Two Thousand. Elena thought he was being stupid, she knew that Harry knew it was beyond repair, but Harry refused to let it go.

He had a stream of visitors, all intent on cheering him up. Hagrid sent him a bunch of earwiggy flowers that looked like yellow cabbages, and Ginny Weasley, blushing furiously, turned up with a get well card she had made herself, which sang shrilly unless Harry kept it it shut under his bowl of fruit. The Gryffidor team visited again on Sunday morning, this time accompanied by Wood, who told Harry (in a hollow, dead sort of voice) that he didn't blame him in the slightest. Ron, Hermione, and Elena left Harry's bedside only at night. But nothing anyone said or did could make Harry feel any better. Elena was by his bed sunday night when she brought the subject of the Grim up.

"Harry," she began, trying to figure out what to say. "On the day of the match, did you... You know... See anything before you fell?"

"Like what?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Like... A large black dog? In the top of the stands?"

"The Grim." Harry stated plainly.

"Well- yeah."

"Yes. I saw it."

"We've seen it twice, Harry! The first time I nearly got hit by the Knight Bus, and this time you fell off your broom! Is the Grim going to us until we actually die?Are we going to spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders?!"

"I don't know... But, Elena, there's another thing... The dementors... When they get near me I hear screaming, and-well- I know who the screaming belongs too, now."

"Who?" Elena asked hesitantly.

"It's Mum. Screaming. Her last moments trying to protect me. From Voldemort."

Elena couldn't remember this night at all. She was only a few weeks old at the time, while Harry was just over a year. She remembered nothing of her parents, and sometimes that caused her grief, because how was she supposed to live up to people she'd only spent a month of her life with?

"Harry, I'm... I'm sorry you have to hear that." Elena said, her eyes beginning to sting, but for Harry or herself, she didn't know.

"He laughs. Right before he kills her. He's laughing." Harry said, and Elena felt herself go cold.

It was a relief for both of them to return to the noise and bustle of the main school on Monday, where they were forced to think about other things. Crabbe and Goyle spent much of their next Potions class doing dementor imitations across the dungeon; Elena finally cracked and flung a large, slippery crocodile heart at Crabbe, which hit him square in the face and cause Snape to take fifty points from Gryffindor.

"If Snape's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again, I'm skiving off," said Elena as they headed towards Lupin's classroom after lunch. "Check who's in there, Hermione."

Hermione peered around the classroom door.

"It's okay!"

Professor Lupin was back at work. It certainly looked as though he had been ill. His old robes were hanging more loosely on him and there were dark circles under his eyes; nevertheless, he smiled at the class as they took their seats, and they burst at once into an explosion of complaints about Snape's behavior while Lupin had been ill.

"It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?"

"We don't know anything about werewolves-"

"-two rolls of parchment!"

"Did you tell Professor Snape we haven't covered them yet?" Lupin asked, frowning slightly.

The babble broke out again.

"Yes, but he said we were really behind-"

"-he wouldn't listen-"

"-two rolls of parchment!"

Professor Lupin smiled at the look of indignation on everyone's face.

"Don't worry. I'll speak to Professor Snape. You don't have to do the essay."

"Oh no," said Hermione, looking very disappointed. "I've already finished it!"

They had a very enjoyable lesson. Professor Lupin had brought along a glass box containing a hinkypunk, a little one-legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless looking.

When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their things and headed towards the door, Elena among them, but-

"Wait a moment, Harry," Elena heard Lupin call. "I'd like a word."

Elena went to stand by the door, waiting for Harry and Lupin to finish their conversation, but she unintentionally heard bits and pieces of it.

-planted the Whomping Willow the same year I arrived at Hogwarts- forbidden to go near it-" Lupin was saying.

"Did you hear about the dementors, too?" Elena asked from across the room, and Lupin nodded.

"Yes, I did. I don't think any of us have seen Professor Dumbledore that angry. They have been growing restless for some time...furious at his refusal to let them inside the grounds...I suppose they were the reason you fell?" He asked, looking at Harry.

"Yes," said Harry. "Why? Why do they affect me like that?Am I just-?"

"It has nothing to do with weakness," said Professor Lupin sharply. "The dementors affect you worse than others because their are horrors in your past that others don't have."

"But I have the same horrors, don't I?" Elena asked, moving forward to sit in a nearby desk. "Why don't they affect me the same way?"

"I assume it's because you were much to young to remember. You were just a newborn. You see, dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can't see them. Get too near to a dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself... soulless and evil. You'll be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life. And the worst that happened to you, Harry, and yes, even you, Elena, even if you can't remember, is enough to make anyone fall off their broom. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"When they get near me-" Harry stared at Lupins desk, his throat tight. "I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum."

Lupin made a sudden motion with his arm as though to grip Harry's shoulder, but thought better of it. There was a moment's silence, then-

"Why did they have to come to the match?" Elena asked bitterly.

"They're getting hungry." said Lupin cooly, shutting his briefcase with a snap. "Dumbledore won't let them into the school, so their supply of human prey has dried up... I don't think they could resist the large crowd around the Quidditch field. All that excitement... emotions running high...it was their idea of a feast."

They were silent again,but then Elena spoke.

"You made the dementor on the train back off."

"There are -certain defenses one can use," said Lupin, "But there was only one dementor on the train, when there are more they become more difficult to resist."

"What defenses?" Harry asked at once. "Can you teach me?"

"I don't pretend to be an expert at fighting dementors, Harry... Quite the contrary..."

"But if the dementors come to another Quidditch match, I need to be able to fight them-"

Lupin looked at Harry's determined face, hesitated, then said

"Well... Alright, I'll try to help. You too, Elena. But it'll have to wait till next term, I'm afraid. I have a lot of work I need to catch up on. I chose a very inconvenient time to fall ill.

With the promise of an anti-dementor lesson from Lupin, and the fact that Ravenclaw flattened Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match match at the end of November, Elena and Harry's moods took a definite turn for the better. Gryffindor wasn't out of the running at all, although they couldn't afford to lose another match. Wood became repossessed of his manic energy and worked his team as hard as ever in the chilly haze of rain that persisted into December, and Elena sat in the stands dutifully to watch Harry practice, then afterwards, Fred, George, and Harry would stay to teach her the different techniques of flying.

Two weeks before the end of term, the sky lightened suddenly to a dazzling opaline white and the muddy grounds were revealed one morning covered in glittering frost. Inside the castle, there was a buzz of Christmas in the air. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, had already decorated his classroom with shimmering lights that turned out to be real, fluttering fairies. The students were happily discussing their plans for the holidays. Both Ron and Hermione had decided to remain at Hogwarts, and though Ron said it was because he couldn't stand two weeks with Percy, and Hermione insisted she needed to use the library, Elena wasn't fooled; they were doing it to keep her and Harry company, and they were very grateful.

To everyone's delight except Harry and Elena's, there was to be another Hogsmeade trip on the very last weekend of the term.

"We can do all our Christmas shopping there!" Said Hermione. "Mum and Dad would really love those Toothflossing Stringmints from Honeydukes!"

Resigned to the fact that they would be the only third years staying behind again, Elena started listening to her iHome radio nonstop, deciding that she would spend the day transferring songs that she liked from the radio to her iPod.

On the saturday morning of the Hogsmeade trip, Elena and Harry bid goodbye to Ron and Hermione, and Elena muttered a farewell to Draco before he was dragged away by Pansy Parkinson, who gave her a smirk and tossed her short black hair and sniffed her pug nose uppishly. Harry had already turned to go inside, and Elena turned up the marble staircase to follow him, and headed back inside to wander with him aimlessly. Snow had started to fall outside the windows, and the castle was very still and quiet.

"Psst-Elena! Harry!"

They turned, halfway along the third-floor corridor, to see Fred and George peering out at them from behind a statue of a hump-backed, one-eyed witch.

What are you two up too?" Elena asked suspiciously, putting her hands on her hips. "How come you're not going to Hogsmeade?"

"We've come to give you and Harry a bit of festive cheer before we go," said Fred, with a mysterious wink. "Come in here..."

He nodded toward an empty classroom to the left of the one-eyed statue. Elena and Harry followed Fred and George inside. George closed the door quietly and then turned, beaming, to look at the two of them.

"Early Christmas present for you two." He said.

Fred pulled something from inside his cloak with a flourish and laid it on one of the desks. It was a large, square, very worn piece of parchment with nothing written on it. Elena, suspecting one of Fred and George's jokes, stared at it.

"What're you two playing at?"

"This, Elena, is the secret to our success," said George, patting the parchment fondly.

"It's a wrench, giving it to you guys," said Fred, "but we decided last night, your need's are greater than ours."

"Anyway, we know it by heart," said George. "We bequeath it to you. We don't really need it anymore."

"And what do we need with a bit of old parchment?" said Harry.

"A bit of old parchment!" said Fred, closing his eyes with a grimace as though Harry had mortally offended him. "Explain, George."

"Well... when were in our first year-young, carefree, and innocent-"

Elena snorted. She doubted whether Fred and George had ever been innocent.

"-well, more innocent than we are now- we got into a spot of bother with Filch."

"We let off a dungbomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason-"

"So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual-"

"-detention-"

"-disembowlment-"

"- and we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked Confiscated and Highly Dangerous."

"Don't tell me-" said Elena, smirking.

"Well, what would you have done?" said Fred. "George caused a diversion by dropping another Dungbomb, I whipped the drawer open and grabbed- this."

"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know." said George, looking at Elena's disapproving face. "We don't think Filch ever found out how to work it. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have confiscated it."

"And you know how to work it?" Elena asked.

"Oh yes," said Fred, smirking. "This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in the school."

"You're winding us up." said Harry, looking at the ragged bit of parchment.

"Oh, are we?" said George.

He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, "I solemnly swear I am up too no good."

And at once, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the point that George's wand had touched. They joined each other, they crisscrossed, they fanned into every corner of the parchment; then words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words, that proclaimed:

Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs,

Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief Makers

are proud to present

The Marauder's Map

It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. But the truly remarkable thing were the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labeled with a name in tiny writing. Astounded, Harry and Elena bent over it. A labeled dot in the top left corner showed that Professor Dumbledore was pacing his study; the caretakers cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling the second floor; and Peeves the Poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room. And as Elena's eyes traveled up and down the familiar corridors, she noticed something else.

This map showed a set of passages she had never entered. And many of them seemed to lead-

"Right into Hogsmeade," said Fred, tracing one of them with his finger. "There are seven in all. Now, Filch knows about these four" he pointed them out-"But we're pretty sure we're the only ones who know about these. Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We used it until last winter, but it's caved in-completely blocked. And we don't reckon anyone's ever used this one, because the Whomping Willow's planted right over the entrance. But this one here, this one leads right into the cellar of Honeydukes. We've used it loads of times. And as you might've noticed, the entrance is right outside this room, through that one-eyed old crones hump."

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," sighed George, patting the map. "We owe them so much."

"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers," said Fred solemnly.

"Right," said George briskly. "Don't forget to wipe it after you've used it-"

"-Or anyone can read it," Fred said Warningly.

"Just tap it again and say, 'Mischief managed!' And it'll go blank."

"So, young friends," said Fred, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy. "Mind you behave yourself."

"See you in Honeydukes," George said, winking.

Harry and Elena stood there, gazing at the miraculous map, then they looked up at each other, smiling broadly. They finally had a way into Honeydukes!


	39. Chapter 39

Harry and Elena were standing right below the cellar of Honeydukes. Shortly after Fred and George had disappeared, Harry and Elena had raced across the hall to the one-eyed witch statue, whispered the spell that the map had told them to say, and then vanished down the hole that had appeared in the hump. They'd slid a considerable way down what seemed to be a stone slide, then twisted and turned for what seemed like hours along a damp, earthy passage way. There was a trap door right above them, and the stood below it, listening. Quickly and silently, Elena and Harry climbed out and raced to a stairway at the opposite end of the room. They climbed it quickly, breathing heavily, and opened the door at the top.

They found themselves behind the counter of Honeydukes- they ducked, crept sideways, and then straightened up. Honeydukes was so crowded with Hogwarts students that no one looked twice at either of them. They edged among the students, Elena clinging to Harry's sweater sleeve so that she wouldn't get lost in the crowd, and looked around. Elena suppressed a laugh as she imagined the look that would spread over Dudley's piggy face if he could see where she was now.

They squeezed themselves through a crowd of sixth years and saw a sign hanging in the farthest corner of the shop. (Unusual Tastes). Ron and Hermione were standing underneath it, examining a tray of blood-flavored lollipops. Elena and Harry snuck up behind them.

"Ugh, no, Harry won't want one of those, they're for vampires, I expect?" Hermione was saying.

"How about these for Elena?" said Ron, shoving a jar of Cockroach Clusters under Hermione's nose.

"Definitely not," said Elena.

Ron nearly dropped the jar.

"ELENA!" Hermione cried. "What are you doing here?! HARRY!? How-How did you-?"

Elena decided to let Harry explain because she'd just laid eyes on a platinum blonde boy. Draco.

"Harry, I just saw Draco, I'm going to go hang out with him." Elena muttered, not waiting for an answer before she slipped into the crowd to follow Draco, who was heading out the door.

She opened the door and was blasted by the blizzard outside. She shivered.

"Draco!" She called, running to catch up with him, Crabbe, an Goyle.

They must have ditched Pansy then, and Elena couldn't help but smirk a little. She'd never liked Pansy.

"Draco! Wait!"

Draco whipped around, a look of annoyance on his face.

"Ugh, Pansy, can't you just leave me alone for five minutes-" when he saw Elena his face turned to one of surprise.

"Elena?! What are you doing here? How did you-" He spluttered, and Elena laughed.

"I'll tell you later," she said, not wanting to say anything around Crabbe or Goyle.

"I thought you were Pansy!"

"I know, it's okay. So. This is Hogsmeade." Elena said, spinning around.

"Yeah. Hey, we were just headed to the Three Broomsticks. Want to come?" Draco asked, pointing to a snug little building.

"Yeah, of course." Elena said, her teeth chattering.

They trudged through the snow, and within a few minutes they were opening the door to the tiny inn. It was extremely crowded, noisy, warm, and smoky.

"Crabbe, go get us four butterbeers, will you?" Draco asked as they made their way to the back of the room where there was a small vacant table between the window and a pretty Christmas tree.

Crabbe grunted and turned to get the drinks. He came back five minutes later, carrying four foaming tankards of hot butterbeer.

Elena thanked him and drank from her tankard deeply. It was the most delicious thing she'd ever tasted and it seemed to heat her up from the inside.

A sudden breeze rustled her hair, causing blonde strands to stray in front of her eyes. She brushed them away and looked lazily towards the door. What she saw made her blood run cold.

Professor McGonagall and Flitwick had just entered the pub with a flurry of snowflakes, shortly followed by Hagrid, who was in deep conversation with a portly man in a lime-green bowler had and pinstriped cloak-Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic.

Elena slammed her tankard down on the table and turned her head the other direction, letting her blonde hair fall in a curtain across her face.

"Elena, what-" Draco started, but she shushed him and looked pointedly at the group that had just wandered in.

Draco's eyes widened and he nodded. Elena watched out of the corner of her eye as the group of four sat at a table nearby. She saw a woman in sparkly turquoise heels, the owner of the pub, Elena guessed, walk of to them.

"A small gillywater-"

"Mine," said Professor McGonagall.

"Four pints of mulled mead-"

"Ta, Rosmerta," said Hagrid.

"A cherry syrup and soda with ice and umbrella-"

"Mmm!" said Professor Flitwick, smacking his lips.

"So you'll be the red currant rum, Minister."

"Thank you, Rosmerta, m'dear," said Fudge. "Lovely to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won't you? Come and join us..."

"Well thank you very much, Minister."

Elena and Draco watched Rosmerta march away and them come back, a steaming drink in her hands. Elena's throat was pounding uncomfortably in her throat. Why hadn't it occurred to her that this was the last weekend of term for teachers too? And how long were they going to sit there? She needed time to sneak back into Honeydukes if she wanted to return to school tonight... Draco twitched nervously across from her, and she grinned with false confidence.

"It'll be fine." She mouthed.

"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?" asked Rosmerta.

Elena saw Fudge glance around for eavesdroppers, and she ducked her head quickly.

"What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school on Halloween?"

"I did hear a rumor," admitted Rosmerta.

"Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?" said Professor McGonagall exasperatedly.

"Do you think Black's still in the area, Minister?" whispered Rosmerta.

"I'm sure of it," said Fudge shortly.

"Do you know that the dementors have searched the whole village twice?" said Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away... It's very bad for business, Minister."

"Rosmerta, m'dear, I don't like them any more than you do," said Fudge uncomfortably. "Necessary precaution...unfortunate, but there you are... I've just met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore-he won't let them inside the castle grounds."

"I should think not," said Professor McGonagall sharply. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?"

"Hear, hear!" squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick, whose feet were dangling a foot off the ground.

"All the same," demurred Fudge, "they are here to protect you all from something much worse...We all know what Black's capable of..."

"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it." Rosmerta said thoughtfully. "Of all the people to go over to the dark side, Sirius Black was the last person I'd have thought... I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd have told me then what he'd become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead."

"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta," said Fudge gruffly."The worst he did isn't widely known."

"The worst?" Rosmerta said, her voice alive with curiosity. "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?"

"I certainly do." said Fudge.

Elena peeked a glance over to them and saw that all their mouths had gone into grim lines, all except Rosmerta's, who's mouth was hanging slightly open.

"I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?"

"You said you remembered him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta,"Professor McGonagall murmured. "Do you remember who his best friend was?"

"Naturally," Rosmerta said with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here-ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!"

Elena's mouth dropped open and she gasped loudly. Draco kicked her leg under the table.

"Precisely." said Professor McGonagall. "Black and Potter. Ring leaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course- exceptionally bright, in fact- but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers..."

"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!" chimed in Professor Flitwick. "Inseparable!"

"Of course they were," said Fudge. "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was the best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry and Elena. They have no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment them."

"Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?" whispered Rosmerta.

"Worse even than that, m'dear..." Fudge dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. "Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted Lily and James at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from, Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm."

"How does that work?" Rosmerta asked, breathless with interest. Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.

"An immensely complex spell," he said squeakily. "involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden within the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is hence-worth impossible to find-unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge in it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refuses to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village Lily and James were staying for years and years without ever finding them, not even if he had his nose pressed up against their sitting room window!"

"So Black was the Potter's Secret-Keeper?" Rosmerta whispered.

"Naturally," said Professor McGonagall. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would rather die than tell where they were, that Black was planning on going into hiding himself... and yet Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be Potter's Secret-Keeper himself."

"He suspected Black?" gasped Rosmerta.

"He was sure that somebody close to the Potters was keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements," said Professor McGonagall darkly. "Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who."

"But James insisted on using Black?"

"He did," said Fudge heavily. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed-"

"Black betrayed them?" breathed Rosmerta.

"He did indeed. Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare openly his support for You-Know-Who, and he seemed to have planned this moment for the Potters' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in young Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. and this left Black in a very nasty position indeed, His master had fallen at the very moment that he, Black, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it-"

"Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!" Hagrid said, loudly enough that half the bar went quiet.

"Shh!" said Professor McGonagall.

"I met him!" growled Hagrid. "I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me what rescued Harry and Elena from Lily an' James's house after they was killed! I'd gotten Harry and was jus' pickin' up Elena outa the ruins, poor little things, when Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin' motorbike he used ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin' there. I didn' know he'd bin Lily and James Secret-Keeper. Though he'd jus' heard the news o' You-Know-Who's attack an' come ter see what he could do. White an' shakin', he was. An' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!" Hagrid roared.

"Hagrid, please!" said Professor McGonagall. "Keep your voice down!"

"How was I ter know he wasn' upset abou' Lily an' James? It was You-Know-Who he cared abou'! An' then he says, 'Give them ter me, Hagrid, I'm their godfather, I'll look after them-' Ha! But I'd had me orders from Dumbledore, an' I told Black no, Dumbledore said Harry was to go ter his aunt an' uncles, and Elena was to-"

The door to the pub opened and a group of incredibly loud third-years entered, and the rest of what Hagrid said was cut off. Once the third years had settled, Elena could hear Hagrid once again.

-"Black argued, but in the end he gave in. Told me ter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. 'I won't need it anymore,' he says. I shoulda known there was somethin' fishy goin' on then. He loved that motorbike, what was he givin' it ter me for? Why wouln' he need it anymore? Fact was, it was too easy ter trace. Dumbledore knew he'd bin the Potters' Secret-Keeper. Black knew he was going ter have ter run for it that night, knew it was a matter o' hours before the Ministry was after him. But what if I'd given the poor kids to him, eh? I bet he'd've pitched them off the bike halfway out to sea! His best friends children! But when a wizard goes over to the Dark Side, there's nothin' and no on that matters to 'em anymore..."

A long silence followed Hagrid's story. Then Rosmerta said with some satisfaction. "But he didn't manage to disappear, did he? The Ministry of Magic caught up with him the next day!"

"Alas, if only we had," said Fudge bitterly. "It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew- another of the Potters' friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper, went after Black himself."

"Pettigrew...that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?" said Rosmerta.

"Hero-worshipped Black and Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "Never quite in their league, talent wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I- how I regret that now..." She sounded as though she suddenly had a head cold.

"There, now, Minerva," said Fudge kindly, "Pettigrew died a hero's death. Eyewitnesses- Muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later- told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, 'Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?' and then he went for his wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens..."

Professor McGonagall blew her nose and said thickly, "Stupid boy...foolish boy...he was always hopeless at dueling...should have left it to the Ministry..."

"I tell yeh, if I'd got ter Black before little Pettigrew did, I wouldn't have messed with wands-I'd've ripped him limb-from-limb," Hagrid growled.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Hagrid," said Fudge sharply. "Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad would have stood against Black once he was cornered. I was one of the first on the scene after Black murdered all those people. I-I will never forget it. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere. Muggles screaming. And Black standing there laughing, with what was left of Pettigrew in front of him... A heap if bloodstained robes and a few- a few fragments-"

Fudge's voice stopped abruptly.

"Is it true he's mad, Minister?"

"I wish I could say he was, yet I met Black on my last inspection of Azkaban. I was shocked at how normal Black seemed. He spoke quite rational to me. It was unnerving. You'd have thought he was merely bored-asked if I'd finished my newspaper, cool as you please, said he missed doing the crossword."

"Good gracious, Minister, he isn't trying to rejoin You-Know-Who, is he?" Asked Rosmerta.

"I daresay that is his- er- eventual plan," said Fudge evasively.

"You know, Cornelius, if you're dining with the headmaster, we'd better head up to the castle," said Professor McGonagall.

One by one, they stood up and left the Three Broomsticks.

"Elena?" Draco said cautiously, trying to make eye contact with her.

She was staring at the table the teachers had just vacated, and she was at a loss for words.


	40. Chapter 40

Elena didn't have a very clear idea of how she had managed to get back into the Honeydukes cellar, through the tunnel, and into the castle once more. All she knew is that the return trip seemed to take no time at all, and that she hardly noticed what she was doing, because her head was still pounding with the story she had just heard. Why had nobody ever told her? Or Harry? Dumbledore, Hagrid, Mr. Weasley, Cornelius Fudge... why hadn't anybody ever told Harry or Elena that their parents had died because their best friend had betrayed them?

Draco watched Elena nervously all through dinner, and it was there that she found out that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been in the Three Broomsticks as well, but they'd been closer, and Harry had had to hide under the table while they listened. Nobody dared to say any more about what they'd overheard, because Percy was sitting close by them. After dinner, Elena remained at the table, staring down blankly at her still full plate as students filtered out of the great hall. She muttered a few "goodnights" and "enjoy your holiday" to the people that stopped to say by, including Ginny, Luna, Lacey, and Will, who each hugged her as they left. Will and Lacey had even been nice enough to give her a small, brightly wrapped, lumpy parcel, saying that she wasn't allowed to open it until Christmas.

Elena forced a smile, gave Lacey one last hug, and then brushed pink glitter off of her clothes as she watched the four of them leave the great hall. A few of the teachers remained at the head table, muttering quietly to each other, but most had gone already. She sighed as the lights began to dim, and she turned to walk to her solitary tower, but a hand on her shoulder caused her to jump and spin around again.

"Draco!" Elena cried, relaxing a little. "You scared the crud outa me!"

"Sorry." He said, dropping his hand and putting it in his pocket. "I just wanted to say bye before I go on holiday. And," he leaned closer to her so that the few remaining teachers couldn't hear him. "Just... don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"Like what?" Elena asked blankly.

"Like trying to go after Black. Just...let the dementors get him... Alright?"

"No promises." Elena muttered, her gut twisting in anger just at the thought of Black.

"Please, Elena, don't be stupid about this-"

"Happy holidays." Elena said turning away.

"Elena, wait, I'm not finished yet-" Draco reached forward and grabbed Elena's elbow, keeping her from moving away. "My father is... He's gone to complain to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Animals. I told him not too, but-"

"But your father is a filthy man and if he can do something to hurt somebody else he'll do it. I know." Elena said, shrugging off his hand but staying where she was.

Draco didn't reply, but he a slipped a piece of paper into her hand before taking a step back.

"Happy Christmas, Elena." He said as he backed out of the Great Hall.

Elena looked down at the slip of paper in her hand. It had small words on it in purple pen that read:

Margoyle's Famous Wand Engraving

Engrave your wand with anything you can imagine!

This certificate is good for two free wand engravings!

No expiration date not for commercial uses.

Elena put the piece of paper in her pocket and found her way to her tower, where she climbed the stairs and flopped face down on her bed. She kicked of her shoes blindly and lay there, fuming. She didn't think she would sleep, but before she knew it, she was dead to the world.

Elena opened her eyes groggily and rolled over to glance at her iHome. It was flashing 12:49 p.m. She'd missed lunch. Elena stretched and stood up. She brushed her hair as well as she could and changed from her wrinkled clothes to a comfy maroon hoodie and black leggings. She walked slowly down the stairs of her tower and opened the door. No one was in the great hall so she jogged barefoot to the Gryffindor common room and said the password to the Sir Cadogan before slipping inside.

She looked about, expecting to see Hermione, Ron, and Harry, but there was no one there. Elena sighed and plopped down on the couch, pulling her legs up under her and resting her head on the armrest. She stared at the fire before her. He eyesight went slightly blurry as she stared at the dancing flames, and she was about to doze off when she heard a rush of voices and then the portrait hole opening.

"-glad the librarian let us in all wet like this-" Hermione was saying, gesturing to her snow soaked robes and shoes.

"Well, she probably only let us in because we said it was urgent and for Hagrid." Ron muttered, shrugging off his own wet robe and flinging of the back of an overstuffed arm chair.

"What did Hagrid need from the library? Why is it urgent?" Elena asked, sitting up.

"Oh, hello, Elena! I didn't see you there." Hermione said as she sat down on the floor beneath her and heaved a giant bag filled to the seam with books. "Hagrid just needed-erm-these books for some research."

"It's about Buckbeak, isn't it?" Elena said, crossing her legs underneath her.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione were silent for a moment as all three of them looked down at their snow soaked feet.

"Yeah." Ron finally said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a crinkled and slightly damp piece of paper and handed it to Elena.

Elena looked down at the paper in her hand and smoothed it out as best she could before reading it.

Dear Mr. Hagrid,

Further to our inquiry into the attack by a hippogriff on a student in your class, we have accepted the assurance of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident. However, we must register our concern about the hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your hippogriff at the Committee's offices in London on that date. In the meantime, the hippogriff should be tethered and isolated.

Yours in fellowship...

There followed a list of the school governors.

"Oh. So this is what that arse has done." Elena said slowly, crumpling up the paper and tossing it in the fire.

"Elena!" Hermione said in shock at Elena's choice or descriptive language.

Elena ignored her, and together, the four of them sat in the common room, slowly turning pages of dusty volumes about famous cases of marauding beasts, speaking occasionally when they found something relevant.

Christmas morning, Elena woke up on her bed, a large, heavy book about Beast Baiting lying open over her chest. She shrugged it off and it fell to the floor with a defeated THUMP. She rubbed her eyes and glanced at the foot of her bed. A small pile of brightly wrapped gifts lay glittering on her wrinkled blanket. She took the one that was from Lacey and William and unwrapped it carefully. Brightly wrapped sweets of all kind fell out and onto the bedspread. Elena scooped them up carefully and set them on her bedside table. There was a maroon sweater with the letter J knitted in gold by Mrs. Weasley, a box of chocolates, and a large box that clinked slightly when Elena shook it. There was a small note attached on top and she unfolded it.

My Dearest Elena,

I hope your Christmas has been satisfactory. The contents of this box are for restoring your growing collection. I hope your Christmas continues to be merry.

Love forever,

S.T.S

Elena glared at the note in her hands. This mysterious S.T.S had been sending her notes and gifts for every birthday and Christmas since her first year at Hogwarts, and it was beginning to get tiresome and a tad creepy. Still frowning, she opened the gift to find that the box was full of vials. Another small note was lying on top. Elena picked it up and read it carefully, although there wasn't much to read.

For your memories

Elena glanced from her box to her depleted supply of vials that she kept in her chest of drawers by the window. She'd been storing memories almost daily now. She smiled slightly and stood up to set the box on top of the drawers. As she turned around, she saw the corner of the carpet that lay on her floor. She knew there was a trapdoor underneath that led to a dusty old nursery of sorts. She'd discovered it on accident after her foot had gotten caught on the carpet and she'd tripped.

Elena shook her head and turned towards her other chest of drawers, the one that held her clothes. She pulled on a pair of gray leggings and the sweater from Mrs. Weasley. She had just finished braiding her hair when a knock on the door below her caught her attention. She trotted down the stairs and opened the door to see Dumbledore himself.

"Ah, Elena." He said, grinning. "I was just wondering if you'd like to join us all for a holiday lunch."

"Is it lunch time already?" Elena asked, rubbing her eyes. "I've only just woken up-"

"Yes, yes, it's lunch for we who've remained her at the castle. What do you say? Shall we put out an extra plate for you?"

"Erm, I haven't got any shoes on." Elena said, looking at her bare toes.

"Shoes aren't necessary to enjoy a meal." Dumbledore stated, taking Elena's arm in his and patting it as he turned and led Elena towards the center of the Great Hall.

Elena was surprised to see that all the tables had been moved against the walls once again, and that a single table, set for twelve.

Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Flitwick were there, along with Filch, the caretaker, who had taken off his usual brown coat and was wearing a rather old and very moldy-looking tailcoat. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and three other students were seated as well.

"Merry Christmas!" Dumbledore said as he released Elena's arm and went to sit between Professor McGonagall and Snape.

"Sit down! Sit down!" He ordered to Elena, who abruptly sat between Hermione and Harry.

Hermione and Ron both looked very angry at each other, but Elena ignored it.

"Dig in!" Dumbledore advised the table, beaming around.

As Elena was helping herself to roast potatoes, the doors of the Great Hall opened again. It was Professor Trelawney, gliding towards them as though on wheels.

"Sibyll, this is a pleasant surprise!" said Dumbledore, standing up.

"I have been crystal gazing, Headmaster," said Professor Trelawney in her mistiest, most faraway voice, "and to my astonishment, I saw myself abandoning my solitary luncheon and coming to join you. Who am I to refuse the promptings of fate?"

"Certainly, certainly," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "Let me draw you up a chair-"

And he did draw a chair in midair with his wand, which revolved for a few seconds before falling with a thud between Professor McGonagall and himself. Professor Trelawney, however, did not sit down; her enormous eyes had been roving around the table, and she suddenly uttered a kind of soft scream.

"I dare not, Headmaster! If I join the table, we shall be thirteen! Nothing could be more unlucky! Never forget that when thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die!"

"We'll risk it, Sibyll," said Professor McGonagall impatiently. "Do sit down, the turkey's getting stone cold."

Professor Trelawney hesitated, then lowered herself into the empty chair, eyes closed and mouth clamped shut, as though expecting a thunderbolt to hit the table. Professor McGonagall poked a large spoon into the nearest tureen.

"Tripe, Sibyll?"

Professor Trelawney ignored her. Eyes open again, she looked around once more and said, "But where is dear Professor Lupin?"

"I'm afraid the poor fellow is ill again," said Dumbledore, indicating that everyone should start serving themselves. "Most unfortunate that it should happen on Christmas Day."

"But surely you already knew that, Sibyll?" said Professor McGonagall, eyebrows raised.

Elena tried to hold back a laugh, and ended up almost choking on her steamed carrots. She saw Snape glower at her, but she paid him no mind as she cleared her throat and directed her attention to Professor McGonagall's conversation once again.

"Certainly I knew, Minerva," she said quietly, "But one does not parade the fact that one is All-Knowing. I frequently act as though I am not possessed of the Inner Eye, s as not to make others nervous."

"That explains a great deal," said Professor McGonagall tartly.

Professor Trelawney's voice suddenly became a great deal less misty.

"If you must know, Minerva, I have seen that poor Professor Lupin will not be with us for very long. He seems aware, himself, that his time is short. He positively fled when I offered to crystal gaze for him-"

"Imagine that," said Professor McGonagall dryly.

"I doubt," said Dumbledore, in a cheerful yet slightly raised voice, which put an end to Professor McGonagall and Professor Trelawney's conversation, "that Professor Lupin is in any immediate danger. Severus, you've made the potion for him again?"

"Yes, Headmaster," said Snape.

"Good," said Dumbledore. "Then he should be up and about in no time... Elena, have you tried any of these chipolatas? They're excellent."

Elena took the platter of sausages from Dumbledore and set it down on the table next to her, not really planning on eating any but putting two onto her plate nonetheless so as not to seem rude.

Professor Trelawney behaved almost normally until the end of Christmas dinner almost two hours later. Full and content, Harry, Ron, and Elena simultaneously got up from the table and she shrieked loudly.

"My dears! Which one of you left their seat first? Which?"

"Dunno," said Ron, looking uneasily at Harry and Elena.

"I doubt it will make much difference," said Professor McGonagall coldly, "unless a mad axe-man is waiting outside the doors to slaughter the first into the entrance hall."

Even Ron laughed. Professor Trelawney looked highly affronted.

"Coming to the common room?" Harry asked Elena and Hermione.

Elena shook her head, and Hermione said, "No, I want a quick word with Professor McGonagall."

Elena walked back to her solitary tower, and sat on the couch by the fire, picking up a book that she'd set there months ago, and forgot about. The rest of the Christmas holiday was rather boring, and she was glad when the rest of the school returned shortly after New Year.

When Classes started, the last thing anyone wanted to do was spend two hours on the grounds on a raw January morning, but Hagrid had provided a bonfire full of salamanders for their enjoyment, and they spend an unusually good lesson collecting dry wood and leaves to keep the fire going while the flame-loving lizards scampered up and down the crumbling, white-hot logs.

It was during their next class, Divination, that Elena noticed how far away Hermione was sitting from Harry and Ron.

"I'll be right back," she whispered to Draco, who was studying Goyles palm, who was asleep.

She stood up and walked to where Harry and Ron were seated, and sat next to Harry, grabbing his palm and pretending to look at it intently.

"Elena, wha-" He began, but she cut him off.

"Why is Hermione so far away from you guys?" She whispered, looking up at Harry, then at Ron.

"Because she lost us the Quidditch House Cup." Ron said angrily.

"What? How? You haven't even had your next match! You can still win!" Elena said, surprised.

"Yeah, but you won't believe this, but," Ron leaned closer, and Elena did, too.

"Someone sent Harry a FIREBOLT for Christmas." Ron said excitedly.

"Uh... A what?" Elena asked.

Ron looked at her incredulously, then leaned back and sighed, turning to Harry.

"How is it that you are on the Quidditch team, but she still knows nothing about the sport?"

"Hey!" Elena said, louder than she intended. She lowered her voice before continuing. "I know how the game is played and I'm learning from Fred and George how to ride a broom. Just because I'm not interested in either doesn't mean I don't know."

"Right, whatever. Anyway, a Firebolt is the best broom ever made!" Ron said, and Harry nodded.

"Okay, and what does Hermione have to do with this?"

"She told McGonagall and it got confiscated!"

"Why?"

"Because they think Sirius Black sent it to him." Ron rolled his eyes, and then stared at Elena, his face gray. "She's going to strip it down and look for curses and jinxes!"

"Well, that's good, isn't it?" Elena asked, and both boys looked at her, horrorstruck. "I mean, how awful would Hermione feel if she hadn't told Professor McGonagall what she thought and then you got hurt or killed? She told Professor McGonagall because she cares about you! That's what friends do, and it's really stupid that you're mad at her for being a good, caring friend." Elena stood up and went back to sit by Draco, leaving Ron and Harry with a sick, guilty feeling in their stomachs.

In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Elena heard Harry talk to Lupin about the dementor lesson.

"Ah, yes, let me see... how about you two come at eight o' clock on Thursday evening? The History of Magic classroom should be large enough... I'll have to think carefully about how we're going to do this... We can't bring a real dementor into the castle to practice on..."

"Still looks ill, doesn't he?" Elena said as they walked down the corridor, heading to dinner.

"Yeah. I wonder what's wrong with him..." Harry replied, looking back at the closed classroom door.

At eight on Thursday evening, Elena left her tower for the History of Magic classroom. It was dark and empty when she arrived, but she lit the lamps with her wand and had waited only five minutes when Professor Lupin and Harry turned up, carrying a large packing case. They heaved it onto Professor Binn's desk.

"What's that?" said Elena.

"Another boggart," said Lupin, stripping off his coat. Unfortunately, I don't think it will work for you, Elena. I heard about your first year, and, well, you see the problem. I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch's filing cabinet. But," he turned to Harry. "It's the nearest we'll get to a real dementor. The boggart will turn into a dementor when he sees Harry, so hopefully, Elena, you'll be able to practice like that."

"Okay, said Harry and Elena.

"So..." Professor Lupin had taken out his own wand, and indicated that Harry and Elena should do the same. "The spell I am going to try to teach you two is highly advanced magic, well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm."

"How does it work?" Elena asked curiously.

"Well, when it works correctly, it conjures up a Patronus," said Lupin, "which is kind of an anti-dementor-a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the dementor. The Patronus is kind of a positive force, a projection of the very things a dementor feeds upon- hope, happiness, the desire to survive-but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the dementors can't hurt it. But I must warn you two that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it."

"What does a Patronus look like?" said Harry.

"Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it."

"And how do you conjure it?" Asked Elena.

"With an incantation, which will only work if you are concentrating with all your might, on a single, very happy memory."

Elena cast her mind for a happy memory. She settled on when she found out magic was real, and not just story books.

"You two ready?" Lupin asked, and both Harry and Elena opened their eyes, Harry's eyes were full of uncertainty while Elena's were full of confidence.

"Yes." They both said, and Lupin nodded.

"Elena, stand over here so the boggart doesn't see you. Alright, the incantation is EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Elena and Harry repeated over and over.

"Concentrating hard on your happy memory?"

Elena and Harry nodded, still repeating the incantation. Something whooshed suddenly out of the end of Elena's wand; it looked like a wisp of silvery gas.

"Whoa, cool! Harry, did you see that, something happened!"

"Yeah." Harry, said, frowning.

"Very good," said Lupin, smiling. "Right then, ready to try it on a dementor?"

"Yeah." Harry and Elena said, gripping their wands tightly.

Lupin grasped the lid of the packing case and pulled. A dementor rose slowly from the box and started to sweep silently toward Harry, drawing a deep, rattling breath. A wave of piercing cold swept over the room.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry and Elena yelled.

Nothing came out of Harry's wand, and Elena could see him visibly start to wobble on his legs. She focused as hard as she could on her memory and pointed her wand directly at the dementor.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Silver light shot out of her wand and barreled into the dementor, causing it to fly backwards into the packing case. It hit it with such force the case fell of the desk onto the floor, slamming shut, trapping the dementor inside. The silvery turned around and fluttered around her head. She looked up at them and saw the large shape of a butterfly. It flew down and landed on her wand, opening and closing its delicate looking wings as Elena stared at in awe before it disappeared.

"Harry, are you okay?" Elena asked, looking down to see Harry picking himself up off the floor, holding his head.

Elena bent down and helped him to his feet.

"I'm okay, are you?"

"I'm great!" Elena said excitedly, and then looked up at Lupin, who was staring at her in amazement.

"Did you see that?! It was huge! And my Patronus is a butterfly! That's so cool!"

"Elena that was astounding! Unbelievable!" Lupin said mouth agape.

"You were able to conjure your Patronus?" Harry asked, his face falling.

"Yeah, but you probably weakened it, and that's why it was easily for me, so it's okay, I mean, you can try again. You'll get it next time." Elena said, noticing how utterly disappointed Harry looked and sounded.

"Here, eat this before we try again." Lupin handed them each a chocolate frog.

Elena stood aside while Harry attempted again and again, to no avail. At one point, Harry sat up after a particularly bad fall.

"I heard my dad." He said. "That's the first time I've ever heard him- He tried to take on Voldemort himself, to give my mom time to run for it..."

"You heard Dad?" Elena asked, stepping closer at the same time Lupin asked, "You heard James?" In a strange voice.

"Yeah..." Harry looked up. "Why- you didn't know my dad, did you?"

"I did as a matter of fact," said Lupin. "We were friends at Hogwarts. Listen, perhaps we should leave it here for tonight."

"No!" said Harry. He got up again. "I'll have one more go! I'm not thinking of happy enough things, that's what it is!"

Elena backed up again as Harry stood up and faced the case.

"Ready?" said Lupin, who looked as though he were doing it against his better judgment. "Concentrating hard? All right- go!"

He pulled the lid off once again, and the dementor rose out of it; the room fell cold and dark-

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry bellowed. "EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

The dementor halted, and then a huge silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harry's wand, to hover between him and the dementor.

"RIDDIKULUS!" roared Lupin, springing forward.

There was a loud crack and Harry's cloudy Patronus vanished along with the dementor; Harry sank into a chair and Elena rushed up to him, smiling.

"Awesome! You did it! Good job!" She said excitedly.

"Excellent!" Lupin said, striding over to where Harry sat. "Excellent, Harry!"

"Can we have another go? Just one more?"

"Not now," said Lupin firmly. "You've had enough for one night. Here-"

He handed Harry and Elena both a bar of Honeydukes' best chocolate.

"Eat the lot, or Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood. Same time next week?"

"Okay," they said.

Elena took a bite of the chocolate and watched Lupin extinguishing the lamps that had rekindled with the disappearance of the dementor. A thought occurred to Elena.

"Professor Lupin?" she said. "If you knew our dad, you must've known Sirius Black as well."

"What gives you that idea?" He said sharply.

"Nothing- I mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts, too..."

Lupin's face relaxed.

"Yes, I knew him," he said shortly. "Or I thought I did. You two better be off, it's getting late."

"Harry and Elena left the classroom, walking along the corridor and around a corner, then taking a detour behind a suit of armor and sinking down on it's plinth to finish their chocolate.

"How'd you do it?" Harry asked, startling Elena in the silence.

"Do what?"

"Conjure your Patronus on the first try! How'd you do it?"

"Oh... I don't know, I was just... Confident that I could do it. My memory was really good, and you know, I'm not afraid of dementors like you." Elena said, finishing her chocolate.

"That could be part of it... But... I guess... I don't know, when the dementors come near, and I can hear Mum and Dad... It's the only time I've heard them before..." Harry said, hanging his head.

Elena's stomach sank and her eyes started stinging. She could feel a lump rising in her throat. She swallowed.

"Harry," She started. "Harry, our parents are dead. They're dead, and listening to echoes of them won't bring them back! You'll never be able to produce a Patronus if you keep wanting to hear their voices!"

"I know, I know!" Harry said, wiping at his eyes angrily. "I need to get a grip on myself if I want the Quidditch Cup!"

Ravenclaw played Slytherin a week after the start of term. Slytherin won, though narrowly. According to Harry, who was keeping Elena up to date, this was good news for Gryffindor, who would take second place if they beat Ravenclaw, too. January faded imperceptibly into February, with no change in the bitterly cold weather.

Also, Elena was finding it continuously more difficult to keep Harry's spirit up after each anti-dementor lesson, which weren't going nearly as well as he'd hoped. Even after several sessions, where Elena was still capable to conjure her Patronus perfectly, Harry was still only able to produce an indistinct, silvery shadow every time the boggart-dementor approached him. His Patronus was too feeble to drive the dementor away; all it did was hover, like a semi-transparent cloud.

"You're expecting too much of yourself," said Professor Lupin sternly in their fourth week of practice. "For a thirteen-year old wizard, even an indistinct Patronus is a huge achievement."

"Yeah!" Elena chimed in from the corner. "You aren't passing out anymore."

"That's easy for you to say. You would be frustrated too if you couldn't do it. You just happened to be perfect on the first try." Harry muttered grumpily.

"Which was a highly unusual occurrence and I'm still trying to figure out how that was possible." Lupin said, aiming to calm the rising tension. "Harry, I have complete confidence in you. Here- you've both earned a drink-something from the Three Broomsticks. You won't have tried it before-"

He pulled three bottles out of his briefcase.

"Butterbeer!" said Harry, without thinking. "Yeah, I like that stuff!"

Lupin raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, Ron and Hermione brought us back some back from Hogsmeade," Elena lied quickly to cover up Harry's mistake.

"I see," said Lupin, though he still looked slightly suspicious. "Well- let's drink to a Gryffindor victory against Ravenclaw! Not that I'm supposed to take sides, as a teacher...," he added hastily.

They all drank their butterbeer in silence, until Harry spoke.

"What's under the dementor's hood?"

Elena looked at Harry, and then at Professor Lupin, who lowered his bottle thoughtfully.

"Hmmm... well, the only people who really know are in no condition to tell us. You see, the dementor lowers its hood only to use its last and worst weapon."

"What's that?" Elena asked, lowering her bottle as well.

"They call it the Dementor's Kiss," said Lupin, with a slightly twisted smile. "It's what demetors do to those who they wish to destroy utterly. I suppose there must be some kind of mouth under there, because they clamp their jaws onto the mouth of the victim and-and suck out his soul."

Elena accidently spat out a bit of butterbeer.

"What-they kill-?"

"Oh, no," said Lupin. "Much worse than that. You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you'll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no-anything. There's no chance at all of recovery. You'll just-exist. As an empty shell. And your soul is gone forever...lost."

Lupin drank a little more butterbeer, and then said, "It's the fate that awaits Sirius Black. It was in the Daily Prophet this morning. The Ministry has given the dementors permission to perform it if they find him."

Elena sat stunned for a moment at the thought of someone having their soul sucked out through their mouth.

"He deserves it." Harry said suddenly.

"You think so?" said Lupin lightly. "Do you really think anyone deserves that?"

"Yes." said Harry defiantly. "For... for some things..."

Harry and Elena stood, thanked Lupin for the lesson and the butterbeer, and left the classroom together. Both were so lost in their own thoughts that they accidently walked headlong into Professor McGonagall.

"Do watch where you're going!"

"Sorry Professor-" they started, but she cut them off.

"I've just been looking for you Mister Potter, in the Gryffindor common room. Well, here it is, we've done everything we could think of, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it at all. You've got a very good friend somewhere, Potter..."

Elena saw Harry's jaw drop. Professor McGonagall was holding what Elena assumed to be his Firebolt. It really did look magnificent. The wooden handle was gleaming so much it seemed that it really was on fire.

"I can have it back?" Harry said weakly. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," said Professor McGonagall, and she was actually smiling. "I daresay you'll need to get the feel of it before Saturday's match, won't you? And Potter- do try and win, won't you? Or we'll be out of the running for the eighth year in a row,, as professor Snape was kind enough to inform me of only last night..." With that, McGonagall walked away, leaving Elena and Harry standing speechless in the middle of the corridor.

"Wow. It's a very nice broom, Harry." Elena said, nodding in approval.

"Yeah... Hey, come to the common room with me and we can show Hermione and Ron!"

"Umm, alright." Elena said awkwardly as she followed him to the Gryffindor tower.

As they turned the corner, they saw Ron dashing towards them, grinning from ear to ear.

"She gave it to you? Excellent! Listen, can I still have a go on it? Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, anything." Harry replied. "You know, we should make up with Hermione, she was only trying to help."

"Yeah, all right," said Ron. "She's in the common room now, working for a change-"

The three of them turned into the corridor to the Gryffindor Tower and saw Neville Longbottom, pleading with Sir Cadogan, who seemed to be refusing him entrance.

"Neville," Elena said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I wrote them down!" Neville said tearfully. "But I must've dropped them somewhere!"

"A likely tale!" roared Sir Cadogan.

"Oh, shut up." Elena said.

"I've lost the passwords!" Neville told her miserably. "I made him tell me what passwords he was going to use this week, because he keeps changing them, and now I don't know what I've done with them!"

"Oddsbodikins," Harry said to Sir Cadogan, who looked extremely disappointed and reluctantly swung forward to let the four of them into the common room.

Elena hadn't been in the common room since Christmas Holiday, because she'd been so busy with dementor lessons and schoolwork. It seemed louder than she remembered, and smelled more like sweat and perfume.

As the four of them entered, they were bombarded by people trying to get Harry's attention. Elena slipped out of the crowd and went to sit on the couch by the fire in a place Alicia Spinnet had just vacated.

"Elena!" Two people plopped down on either side of her, and she turned to see Ginny on her left and Lacey Brown on her right.

"Hi, guys!" She said, smiling.

"Elena, you haven't been up here in forever! And you barely talks in class! I was beginning to think you were avoiding me!" Lacey said, sticking her lower lip out in a surprisingly large pout that would have put a camel to shame.

"I know, I've just been really busy, I hope I haven't hurt your feelings!" Elena said, trying to comfort the red head.

"It's okay; we just thought you were ditching us for Malfoy." Ginny said.

"Well, I haven't even said five words to him since term started, because, like I said, I've been busy."

"I hope those five words were 'you are a dirty git' or I'll be very disappointed."

"Well, no. Sorry. Have you guys been spending time with William? I haven't seen him at all except in class!"

"Yeah, but we don't really see him outside class either. Maybe we'll all be able to hang out during the next Hogsmeade weekend..." Lacey said.

"I can't, I-" But Elena never got to finish her sentence because a strangled yell echoed down the boys staircase. The whole common room fell silent, staring, petrified, at the entrance. Then came hurried footsteps, growing louder and louder-and then Ron came leaping into view, dragging with him a bed sheet.

"LOOK!" he bellowed, striding over to Hermione's table. "LOOK!" he yelled, shaking the sheets in her face.

"Ron, what-?"

"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!"

Hermione was leaning away from Ron, looking utterly bewildered. Elena tried to look at the sheet Ron was holding. There was something red on it, something that looked horribly like-

"BLOOD!" Ron yelled into the stunned silence. "HE'S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?"

"N-no," said Hermione in a trembling voice.

Ron threw something down onto Hermione's rune translation. Elena stood up and walked to the table Hermione was sitting at to get a closer look. Lying on top of the weird, spiky shapes were several long, ginger cat hairs.


	41. Chapter 41

It looked like the end of Ron and Hermione's was so angry at the other that Elena and Harry couldn't see how they'd ever make up.

Frankly, Elena was tired of it. She spent all her time trying to avoid both of them, because whenever she saw either, they'd corner her and ask her about the other. She was spending more and more time by herself in her secluded tower room, talking to Nightshade and staring out of the window at the surrounding towers and the field below. In the evenings, she would go and walk across the grassy field to the Quidditch pitch and watch Harry and his team practice for their upcoming game against Ravenclaw. Afterwards, Harry, George,and Fred would take turns teaching her how to maneuver a broomstick.

The day of the match, Elena woke up and, after putting on a Gryffindor sweater and a pair of jeans, shambled down to the dining hall. She was the first one there, and so she took her time to get to her table and sit down. She had just finished putting orange marmalade on a piece of toast and taking a large bite when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Elena spun around quickly, swallowing the dry bread painfully.

"Elena!" a voice squealed.

"Lacey hi," Elena responded, smiling up at the red haired girl.

Lacey Brown was decked out in so much red and gold that it was difficult to see where one article of clothing ended and the other started. It would have looked ridiculous on anyone else, but Lacey pulled the whole outfit off in an almost elegant manner. Elena allowed herself to feel a pang of jealousy. Lacy, although still only thirteen, looked more like a woman than a child. She seemed to shimmer within a cloud of strawberry scented glitter, and all in all, she was an incredibly pleasant person to look at.

"... just decided on something very, very important." Lacey was saying, waving her hands around while she talked.

"Uh, what?" Elena asked, pretending to have been listening.

"I've decided that at the match today, you, me, Ginny, and Will can all sit together! I mean, I know Will's in Ravenclaw and is technically our enemy for today but he's still our friend, you know?"

"Right, sounds great Lacey." Elena said dismissively, hoping Lacey would take the hint.

"Great, and you know, if you want, you can invite Draco to sit with us. He's right over there." Lacey said, pointing.

Elena turned to look and there he was, just as Lacey had said. Elena was shocked at how many people had trickled in while she was talking, but he was there, sitting with his back to her, eating and laughing with his Slytherin friends.

"Okay, yeah, I'll ask him." Elena said, standing up. "I'll see you in the Gryffindor stands, then?"

"You betcha!" Lacey said, and skipped away, leaving glitter in her wake.

Elena walked over to Draco and tapped him on his shoulder. He turned and glanced up at her with disinterest, but once he saw who it was his eyes widened.

"Elena, hi! What's up? Let's go talk in the great hall, yeah?" He was on his feet and saying bye to his friends before Elena realized what was happening.

"No, wait, I just wanted to ask you a question, you didn't need to get up-"

"I need to talk to you, but not here." Draco said, cutting her off.

He led her out of the dining hall and into the great hall, where the last few students were gathered, talking quietly before entering the dining hall to eat.

"You look awful." Draco said, turning to face Elena, his face grim.

"Wow, thanks." Elena said sarcastically.

She glanced behind his head and caught her reflection in a shiny suit of armor. He was right. There were dark circles under her eyes and her looked thinner, shallower. Her skin was pale, and her chin looked sharper and more pointed. She hadn't even noticed the change in herself until Draco had pointed it out.

"You haven't said more than five words to me since term started. What's wrong? Has something happened? Is it about-" Draco lowered his voice. "Is it about what happened in Hogsmeade?"

"I've just been really busy, Draco. It's nothing personal, I swear. All I was going to ask was if you wanted to sit with me, Lacey, Ginny, and Will during the match."

Draco's faced switched from concerned and hurt to relieved.

"Oh." He said.

"So will you?" Elena asked.

"Will I what?"

"Sit with us during the match!"

"Oh, yeah, of course. I'd love to." Draco said, smiling.

"Also, I was thinking. Next Hogsmeade weekend, I'll take my wand and we can get it engraved right here-" Elena pulled her ebony wand out of her arm sheath and held it in both hands. "watch this." She twisted the last inch of handle on her wand and pulled. The wood slid back to reveal a small, sanded down flat space.

"Elena-" Draco whispered.

"Cool right?" Elena said, beaming.

"Yeah, but... mine does that, too! I thought mine was the only one!" Draco said, pulling his wand from his front pocket as Elena pushed her wand back together so that it covered the flat spot.

"Woah! they look so alike!" Elena said, taking his wand and holding them side by side.

There was only slight differences in the shape and length, but they were the exact same shade. As Elena held them, they seemed to get warmer, and the ends began to glow.

"Soo... do you want your name engraved on it?" Draco asked, taking his wand back and putting it back in his pocket.

"No...I want a... a butterfly." Elena said, thinking of her patronus.

"You want an animal engraved on it?" Draco asked. "If you're getting an animal... I should get an animal too. An animal with wings... How about a...a..."

"A dragon." Elena said, looking at him.

"Yeah!"

"Okay, great! So next Hogsmeade weekend, we'll go get them engraved?"

"Yeah, I'll do that."

Elena was about to respond when the dining hall doors burst open and a river of students flowed out, all heading towards the Quidditch pitch.

"Well, I guess the match is about to start." Elena said. "Let's go. We're meeting the others on the Gryffindor side."

Ten minutes later, everyone was seated. Draco was on Elena's right and Lacey was on her left, with Ginny next to her and William next to Draco. Both teams were on the field and the crowd was buzzing with excitement.

The game began, and players were zooming around the field. Elena's head whipped back and forth, following Harry. She looked down at the field when she heard people screaming. A hooded figure was standing on the ground, looking up at Harry.

"Oh no!" Elena yelled, standing up and pulling out her wand. She pointed it at the figure "EXPECTO-" she started, but before she could get the whole thing out, a burst of white light shot into the figure and knocked it to the ground. Elena looked up just in time to see Harry with his right arm extended and his left hand wrap around a glittering gold object. It was the snitch!

"Yes!" Elena yelled, jumping up and running down to the field with a swarm of Gryffindor and Gryffindor supporters.

"Harry!" Elena yelled, throwing herself at him for a hug. He hugged her back and then looked at her face.

"Elena! The dementor didn't affect me at all!" Harry said excitedly. "I didn't feel a thing!"

"That would be because it- er- wasn't a dementor." A voice from behind Harry said.

Harry and Elena turned to see Professor Lupin.

"Come and see..." He said, leading them through the crowd until they were at the edge of the field. "You gave them quite a fright."

Elena and Harry stared. Laying in a crumpled heap were Crabb, Goyle, and Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team captain, all struggling to remove themselves from a long, black, hooded robe. Standing over them, with an expression of utmost fury on her face, was Professor McGonagall.

"An unworthy trick!" she was shouting. "a low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker! Detention for all of you! And fifty points from Slytherin! I shall be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about this, make no mistake! Ah, here he comes now!"

Harry and Elena turned when they felt a hand on each of their shouders. "Come on, both of you!" Ron shouted. "Party, Gryffindor common room! Now!"

It felt as if they had already won the House Cup; the party went on all day and well into the night. Elena sat on the couch in front of the fireplace, staring at the flickering flames and accepting every drink that was handed to her.

Only one other person wasn't joining in on the festivities. Hermione, incredibly, was sitting at a table in the corner, attempting to read an enormous book entitled "Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles."

Elena stood up and her head swam. There must have been something in the drink. There was no way she'd be able to make it back to her tower. She walked over to Hermione and sat down on the edge of the table.

"Did you even go to the match?" She asked.

"Of course I did," said Hermione in a strange, high pitched voice, not looking up. "And I'm very glad we one, and I think Harry did very well, but I need to read this by Monday."

"Come on Hermione, come and have some food," Elena said, pulling the book out of her hands as she looked over at Ron, wondering if he was in a good enough mood to bury the hatchet.

"I can't, Elena! I still have four hundred and twenty-two pages to read!" said Hermione, now sounding slightly hysterical. "Anyway..." she glanced over at Ron, too. "he doesn't want me to join in."

There was no arguing with this, as Ron chose that moment to say loudly, "If Scabbers hadn't just been eaten, he could have had some of those Fudge Flies. He used to really like them-"

Hermione burst into tears. Before Elena could say or do anything, she tucked the enormous book under her arm, and, still crying, ran towards the girls' dormitories and out of sight.

"Can't you give her a break?" Elena asked Ron quietly.

"No," Ron said flatly. "If she just acted like she was sorry- but she'll never admit she's wrong, Hermione. She's still acting like Scabbers has gone on vacation or something."

Elena gave up and went to go sit on the couch again, but this time she refused to drink or eat anything anybody offered her, for she was beginning to feel slightly ill.

The Gryffindor party ended only Professor McGonagall turned up in her tartan dressing gown at one in the morning to insist that they all go to bed. Once everyone had climbed the stairs to go to sleep, and Elena was the last one in the common room, She stretched out on the couch and stared at the brightly burning fire before closing her eyes, instantly falling asleep...

She was having a very strange dream. She was in a dark house, and dust was all over the floor. there was furniture everywhere but it had been tossed around and broken, slivers of wood from broken chairs and shards of glass from smashed lamps littered the floor and made walking a dangerous task. Only one piece of furniture was left seemingly untouched: a large, four poster king sized bed with a black canopy and ebony blankets. It was there Elena was laying on her back, staring at a door off to the side. She knew someone was on the other side of that door, but she didn't know who. She watched as the doorknob slowly turned and the door swung open. A dark figure moved into the room and walked towards her, something glinting in his hand. The figure took another step and...

Creak. Elena's eyes popped open and she sat up quickly, looking around at the common room. She was drenched it sweat and she was shivering all over. She looked at the fireplace and saw that the fire had died. That would explain the cold. But what had woken her up?

Thunk. Elena twisted around at the sound. It had come from the stairs leading to the boys' dormitories. An empty bottle of Butterbeer that had previously been sitting on the bottom step of the stairwell was now laying on it's side on the floor. It wobbled from side to side before going still.

Elena started to shake.

"Calm down," Elena whispered to herself. "The bottle was probably sitting on the edge of the step and fell off. No need to be scared."

She lay back down slowly, and willed herself to close her eyes. Her breathe was just starting to go back to normal when-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Elena sat up as suddenly as if she'd been hit in the face. She Jumped up and was sprinting towards the boys' dormitories when a dark shape came hurdling down the stairs and knocked her backwards to the ground.

"AHHH!" she screamed as she fell, hitting her head on a shelf. She heard the portrait hole slam. "What the-?"

She tried to stand but was disoriented in the darkness. She heard footsteps on the stairs and scooted back on her but just in time to get out of the way of trampling feet. People were running down the stairs from both dormitories.

Lamps were lit and suddenly Elena could see.

"What? what happened?" someone asked.

"Black! Sirius Black! Here! With a knife!" another said. Ron?

"What?"

"Here! Just now! Slashed the curtains! woke me up!"

"You sure you weren't dreaming, Ron?" Someone asked.

More people flooded into the common room. A few of the girls had come down as well, pulling on dressing gowns and yawning. Almost everyone was in the common room now.

"Who shouted?"

"What're you doing?"

"Are you sure you weren't dreaming, Ron?"

"I'm telling you, I saw him!"

"What's all this noise?"

"McGonagall told us to got o bed!"

George and Fred ran down the stairs.

"Excellent, are we carrying on?" George asked brightly.

"Everyone back upstairs!" Percy yelling, hurrying into the common room.

He stopped to help Elena to her feet and lead her to the couch before turning to face everyone else.

"Perc- Sirius Black!" said Ron faintly. "In our dormitory! With a knife! Woke me up!"

The common room went very still.

"Nonsense!" Percy said, startled. "You had too much to eat- had a nightmare-"

"I'm telling you-"

"Now, really, that's enough!"

Professor McGonagall was back. She slammed the portrait behind her as she stormed into the room, looking furiously about.

"I am delighted that Gryffindor one the match but this is getting ridiculous! Percy, I expected better of you!"

"I certainly didn't authorize this, Professor!" said Percy, puffing himself up indignantly. "I was just telling them all to get back to bed. My brother Ron here had a nightmare-"

"IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE!" Ron yelled. "PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP, AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE!"

"I believe him." Elena said. "I heard something and woke up, and then I though I saw something go up the stairs to the boys' dormitory, and when I went to go look after Ron screamed-" Ron glared at her "-er, yelled, something ran down the stairs and knocked me over, then I heard the portrait close."

Professor McGonagall stared at him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Weasley. How could he have possibly gotten through the portrait hole?"

"Ask him!" Ron said, point a finger at the back of Sir Cadogan's picture. "Ask him if he saw-"

Glaring suspiciously at Ron, Professor McGonagall pushed open the portrait hole and went back outside. The whole common room listened with bated breath.

"Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter the Gryffindor Tower?"

"Certainly, good lady!" cried Sir Cadogan.

There was stunned silence, both inside and outside the common room.

"You- you did?" said Professor McGonagall. "But- but the password!"

"He had 'em!" said Sir Cadogan proudly. "Had the whole week's, my lady! read 'em off a little piece of paper!"

Professor McGonagall pulled herself back through the portrait hole to face the stunned crowd. Her face was white as chalk.

"Which person," she said, her voice shaking, "which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?"

There was utter silence, broken by the smallest of terrified squeaks. Neville Longbottom, trembling from head to fuzzy-slippered toes, raised his hand slowly into the air.


	42. Chapter 42

Elena couldn't sleep a wink that night. She was shaking as she was escorted from the Gryffindor common room back to her solitary tower by Filch. The whole castle was being searched again, and Professor McGonagall had come to her tower to tell her that Black had again evaded capture. She had an enchanted suit of armor standing guard outside her door but she was still terrified. She sat at her window, nervously petting Nightshade all night.

Throughout the next day, there were signs of tighter security. Professor Flitwick could be seen teaching the front doors to recognize a large picture of Sirius Black; Filch was suddenly bustling through the halls, boarding up everything from small cracks in the wall to mouse holes. Sir Cadogan had been fired and returned to his lonely landing on the seventh floor, and the Fat Lady was back.

Ron had become an instant celebrity. For the first time in his life, people were paying more attention to him then they were to Harry or Elena, and it was obvious that he was enjoying the experience. Though he was still shaken from the night's event, he was glad to tell anyone who asked what had happened, with a wealth of detail.

"... I was asleep,and I heard this ripping noise, and I thought it was in my dream, you know? But then there was this draft. I woke up and one half of my hangings on my bed had been pulled down. I rolled over and I saw him standing over me! Like a skeleton with loads of filthy hair... holding this great long knife, must have been twelve inches! Then he looked at me, and I looked at him, and then I yelled, and he SCAMPERED."

"Why, though?" Ron added to Harry and Elena as the group of second year girls who had been listening to his chilling tale departed. "Why did he run?"

Elena had been wondering the same thing. She had been asleep on the couch in the common room. If he had wanted to kill her, which she knows he does, why hadn't he done it then? She was defenseless, and no one was around. He could have easily sliced her neck and then gone after Harry. Yeah, he made a mistake, but why hadn't he silenced Ron and then gone to Harry's bed? It's not like he had a problem killing innocent people.

Neville was in total disgrace. McGonagall had ordered that no one give him the day's password, forcing him to stand outside the common room until someone came to let him in. He was also banned from all future Hogsmeade visits, and had a weeks worth of detentions. None of these punishments, however, could compare to what his grandmother had in store for him. Two days after Black's break in, He was sitting at breakfast when he got a Howler.

Elena was sitting next to Harry and Ron when Neville got his Howler.

"Run for it, Neville." Ron advised.

Neville didn't need telling twice as he grabbed the letter and sprinted out of the dining hall.

Elena saw Hedwig, Harry's snowy owl, land in front of him. She shifted from foot to foot, trying to get Harry's attention. She was getting increasingly irritated.

"Harry-" Elena warned, but it was too late.

Hedwig dropped the letter onto Harry's plate and nipped his finger, harder than she really need to. Harry glanced up.

"Oh, sorry, Hedwig."

Hedwig hooted indignantly, and before flying off, snatched Harry's toast and carried it away.

Jessy smirked before going to meet Draco in the entrance hall.

Elena climbed back through the one-eyed lady, her face flushed with anger and her breath ragged.

"Come on Harry, hurry up!" She whispered.

"I'm coming!"

"I can't believe you let Pansy see you!"

"I didn't know she was there! And I didn't know she was gonna step on my cloak!"

"Well she did! No! leave it there! You know how much of a giveaway that cloak would be if you had it with you? Stop! Harry just leave it! She already hates me because of all the time I spend with Draco-"

"I understand that one." Harry muttered grumpily, tossing the cloak back through the hole in the one-eyed lady's hump.

"Shut up! Anyway of course she would tell on you! lucky for us no one's around-"

"What are you two doing here, may I ask?" A slow voice drawled from behind the pair.

Harry and Elena turned around to see Professor Snape, his eyes glazed with what seemed like sadistic delight.

"Just walking, Professor." Harry said.

Elena tried to look innocent, but she was all too aware of her sweaty face.

the Hogsmeade trip had started out perfectly. She'd met Draco right outside of Honeydukes, her hair tucked up under a hat and in loose clothing. She was wearing a pair of Draco's shoes and from a distance she passed as a boy. they'd gone to Zonko's Joke Shop and to the post office, and then they'd gone to Margoyle's Famous Wand Engraving and gotten their wands engraved; Elena's with a delicate butterfly, Draco's with an intricate dragon. They had just been leaving when Harry, underneath his invisibility cloak, had crashed into her. She fell to the ground and he fell on top of her. Luckily, Draco didn't realize that Harry was there.

"Elena, what the heck?" He'd cried, helping her to her feet.

"I'm okay, I just slipped." Elena'd responded. "Harry, what are you doing?" she'd whispered.

When Harry realized it was Elena he'd whispered hurriedly, "Pansy Parkinson stepped on my cloak! She saw my face! She knows we're here! We've gotta go! She ran to tell Snape!"

Elena was able to quickly make up some kind of excuse and say goodbye to Draco before Harry had grabbed her hand and dragged her away.

Now here they were, facing Snape.

"So," Snape said. There was a look of suppressed triumph on his face. "Come with me, both of you."

The Potters followed Snape downstairs, wiping away their sweat when he wasn't looking. They went down the stairs into the dungeons and then into Snape's office.

Elena had been in here only once before, when she'd been caught out of bed. Snape had acquired a few new nasty things since then, all of which were on shelves behind his desk, glinting in the firelight and adding to the threatening atmosphere.

"Sit." Snape ordered, and Elena and Harry both sat.

Snape remained standing, however.

"Miss Parkinson has just come to me with a strange story," said Snape.

The siblings remained silent.

"She tells me that she was in Zonko's Joke Shop when she saw Mr. Weasley, apparently alone."

Still, neither spoke.

"She tells me that she was standing talking to Weasley when a small box box of putty apparently opened and landed in her hair. How do you think that could have happened?"

"I have no idea, Professor."

"Miss Parkinson then said she saw an extraordinary apparition. Can you imagine what that could have been?"

"No," Elena and Harry said, both trying to sound mildly interested.

Snape turned his attention to Harry.

"It was your head, Potter, floating in midair."

"Maybe she better go see Madame Pomfrey," Elena said. "If she's seeing things like-"

"What would your head have been doing in Hogsmeade, Potter?" Snape said softly, "Your head is not allowed in Hogsmeade, no part of either of you is allowed to be in Hogsmeade."

"I know that," Harry said.

"It sounds like Pansy's having hallucin-" Elena started.

"Pansy is not having hallucinations," Snape snarled at Elena.

He bent down and placed a and on each arm of Harry's chair so that their faces were a foot apart. "If your head was in Hogsmeade so was the rest of you."

"We've been up in the Gryffindor Tower," Elena tried. "We barely get to spend any time together anymore, so we were just catching up-"

"Can anyone confirm that?"

Elena didn't say anything. Snape's mouth curled up into a horrible smile.

"So," he said again, "Everyone from the Ministry of Magic downward has been trying to keep the Famous Potters safe from Sirius Black. But the Famous Potters are a law unto themselves! Let the ordinary people worry about their safety! The Famous Potters go where they want, without a thought for the consequences."

They stayed silent. Snape was trying to provoke them into telling the truth. They weren't going to do it. Snape had no proof - yet.

"How extraordinarily like your father you are," Snape said suddenly, looking pointedly at Harry. "He too, was exceedingly arrogant. A small amount of talent o the Quidditch field made him think he was a cut above the rest of us, too. Strutting around the place with his friends and admirers... The resemblance between the two of you is uncanny."

"Our dad didn't strut," said Elena, before she could stop herself. "And neither does Harry."

"Was I talking to you?" Snape growled, turned his head and glaring at Elena, making her blood run cold. "You only talk when spoken to!"

He turned back to Harry.

"Your father didn't set much store by rules either," Snape went on, his thin face full of malice. "Rules were for lesser mortals, not Quidditch Cup-winners. His head was so swollen-"

"SHUT UP!"

Elena was on her feet. Rage such as she had not felt since her last night on Privet Drive was coursing through her. She new Harry was angry, too. His face was bright red and his fingers were clutching his chair so hard his knuckles were white. Elena didn't care that Snape's face had gone rigid, his black eyes flashing dangerously.

"What did you say to me, Potter?"

"She told you to shut up about our dad!" Harry yelled from his chair.

Snape's teeth were bared.

"Turn out your pockets. Both of you. Now!" He hissed venomously.

Neither of them moved.

"Turn out your pockets or we go straight to the headmaster! Pull them out!"

Elena had nothing except her wand. She quickly made sure the secret spot was secure before handing it over. Harry, however, had the map.

"And what is this?" Snape asked, picking up the map. Elena tried with all her might to keep her face impassive.

"Spare bit of parchment," Harry said with a shrug.

"Surely you don't need such and old piece of parchment?" he said "Why don't I just - throw this away?"

His hand moved towards the fire.

"No!" Harry and Elena said quickly.

Snape's eyes gleamed.

"Let me see, let me see..." He muttered, taking out his wand and smoothing the map out on his desk. "reveal your secrets!" he said, pressing the tip of his wand to the parchment.

Nothing happened. Elena clenched her hands to stop them from shaking, digging her nails into her palms.

"Show yourself!" Snape said, tapping the map sharply.

Nothing happened.

"Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands you to yield the information you conceal!" Snape said, hitting the map with his wand.

Words appeared on the smooth surface of the map. Elena held her breath.

"Read them!" Snape commanded of her.

Elena gulped and cleared her throat. "Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."

Snape froze. Elena stared, dumbstruck, at the message. But the writing didn't stop there. More writing appeared beneath the first.

"Keep. Reading." Snape hissed at Elena.

"Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git."

Elena squeezed her eyes shut, willing the writing to stop there, but when she opened her eyes, there was more.

"Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor."

Elena watched as one more message appeared. She stayed completely silent.

"Read. It. Now." Snape said coldly, staring down at her with daggers in his eyes.

"Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape a good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball."

Elena clenched her jaw, waiting for the blow to fall. Snape strode to the fire and threw a handful of glistening powder into the flames.

"Lupin!" Snape yelled into the fire, "I want a word!"

Utterly bewildered, Elena sat back down next to Harry and watched as a large shape appeared in the fire, revolving very fast. Seconds later, Professor Lupin clambered out, brushing ash off his shabby robes.

"You called, Severus?" Lupin said mildly.

"I certainly did," said Snape, his face contorted with fury as he strode back to his desk. "I have just asked the Potters to empty their pockets. Mr. Potter was carrying this." Snape pointed at the parchment, on which the words of Messrs. Moody, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were still glistening.

Lupin stared at the map.

"It look to me like this parchment insults everyone who tries to read it. It seems like a classic Zonko's product."

Snape glared at him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, now, Harry, didn't we have an essay to talk about? I'll just take this for further examination-" Professor Lupin snatched the map gracefully up off the desk and tucked it under his arm. "Now then, Elena, Harry, shall we go? Excuse us, Severus."

Elena didn't dar look at Snape as they left his office. She, Harry, and Lupin walked all the way back into the entrance hall before speaking. Then Harry turned to Lupin.

"Professor, we-"

"I don't want to hear explanations," said Lupin shortly. He glanced around the empty entrance hall and lowered his voice. "I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years ago. Yes, I know it's a map," he said as Elena and Harry looked amazed. "I don't want to know how it fell into your possession. I am, however, astounded that you didn't hand it in. Particularly after the last time a student left information about the castle lying about. And I can't let you have it back, either of you."

Elena had expected that, and was too keen for information to protest.

"Why did Snape think Harry'd gotten it from the manufacturers?"

"because...," Lupin hesitated, "because these mapmakers would have wanted to lure you out of the school. They'd think it extremely entertaining."

"Do you know them?" said Harry, seemingly impressed.

"We've met," Lupin said shortly. He was looking at the siblings more seriously than ever before.

"Don't expect me to cover up for you two again. I cannot make you take Sirius Black seriously, but I would have thought that you'd take into consideration what your parents did to protect you. They gave their lives to keep you both alive. A poor way to repay them-gambling their sacrifice for a trip to Hogsmeade."

Lupin walked away, clutching the map tightly to his chest. Elena felt worse than she ever had at any point in Snape's office. She walked into the dining hall, leaving Harry and Ron talking quietly behind her. She walked passed the long wooden tables and to the entrance to her tower, which lay behind the instructors' dining table. The enchanted suit of armor was gone. It had probably gotten bored and wandered off to go stand around with his mates. Useless piece of metal. She opened her door and then closed it, turning so that her back was pressed up against the cool wood. She sighed and allowed herself to slump to the floor, where she curled up her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, letting the tears she'd been holding back rush forward in loud, throat wrenching sobs.

The man watched from the corner of the dining hall as the blonde girl shuffled passed him and behind the teachers' dining table. He'd heard the whole conversation that had just occurred in the entrance hall, and he'd barely had any time to hide himself before the girl had walked in. He heard the girl open and then close her door. Knowing that he was safe, he stepped out from the shadows of the corner and walked towards where she had just disappeared. When he reached the doorway, he stopped. He slowly pressed an ear against the door, listening. He could just faintly hear what sounded like crying.

"If only she knew the truth," he thought to himself angrily. "She wouldn't be so upset or scared!"

The man wanted nothing more than to burst through the door and wrap his arms around the distressed girl. He went as far as to put his hand on the doorknob before he could stop himself.

"No." The man whispered. "No. Not now. She can never know the truth. It's better for her this way."

He listened some more. There was no noise coming from inside the doorway. He listened harder.

"Hello?" He heard the girl ask from inside. "Hello, is someone there?"

The man lowered his hand quickly, dejectedly, and turned swiftly around, his hair swishing behind his head. He strode down the small set of steps and disappeared out of the dining hall.

"Hello?" Elena asked, standing up quickly and facing the door. She thought she had heard someone whispering right outside. "Hello, is someone there?"

She brushed her hair out of her face, wiping the tears from her cheeks. She placed her shaking hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath.

"One," she whispered, slowly letting the air out of her lungs. "Two..." She tightened her grip on the knob and began to turn it. "Three!"

Elena swung the door open so fast she lost her balance and almost fell over. When she'd righted herself, she looked up. No one. The was no one outside her door. There was no one in the dining hall at all. Elena took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes. Then she opened them, turned around, and closed the door again.


	43. Chapter 43

"Come on Elena! Aren't you excited for the game today?" Elena looked up from the toast she was picking at. It was Lacey Brown.

"The.. game?" Elena asked.

"Slytherin against Gryffindor..?" Lacey prodded.

"Slytherin against Gryffindor?" Elena repeated, still confused.

"Look around you." Lacey said, exasperated.

Elena glanced around the dining hall. three fourths of the students, the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws, were all dressed in red and gold. The Slytherin table was a sea of green and silver.

"Wow." Elena said, impressed.

She looked down at herself. "Shoot." She was dressed in her school robes.

"Are you gonna sit with us?" Lacey asked.

"Umm.. I don't think I'll go.. I feel a bit sick, actually." Elena said.

Lacey looked shocked, then disappointed.

"Well, okay... I hope you feel better." She slunk away to find Ginny and Will.

About twenty minutes later, almost all of the students had filed out of the cafeteria, headed down to Quidditch Pitch.

"Elena... Are you feeling okay?" A familiar voice said.

"Hello William." Elena muttered, turning slightly to look up at his tan face and brown sugar colored eyes, which at the moment were wide with concern. His dark hair was tied up in a messy bun at the back of his head.

"Lacey said you weren't feeling well and, in her words, looked like you were drowning in internal tears. I just wanted to check in on you."

Elena felt tears welling up in her eyes, and she turned her head away quickly. Will sat down next to her and took her uneaten toast out of her quivering hands, setting it back down on her plate before placing his own hand on hers.

"Elena?"

"I'm... I feel so guilty." Elena said.

"Why?" Will asked.

"I- I did a very bad thing and acted as if my parent's death meant nothing." Elena said, her tears falling at last.

She wiped at them angrily, embarrassed to be crying in front of her friend.

"Shh. It's okay. I'm sure if your parents are watching they forgive you for what you did, whatever it was." Will said, wrapping his arm around her in a comforting side hug. "Are you going to the match?"

"I don't know... I don't think so." Elena responded.

"Come on, it'll be fun and it'll take your mind off things. Plus, it's the most important game of the year and Harry, Fred, and George will be pissed if you don't come." Will said, smiling.

"Okay... I guess you're right." Elena said, smiling back half-heartedly.

She allowed Will to pull her off the bench and drag her out of the dining hall. Once on the Quidditch Pitch, Will pulled her through the crowd to where Ginny and Lacey were sitting. Next to them were two empty seats with discarded jackets on them. When Lacey looked up and saw Elena, her face grew into a huge smile.

"I knew you would come!" She squealed, grabbing up the two jackets and handing the to Ginny, who folded them and placed them under her feet.

Lacey patted the seats next to her enthusiastically, and Elena couldn't help but smile as she sat down next to her.

"I'm so excited!" Lacey exclaimed, barely sitting still as the two teams came out onto the field and faced each other.

The crowd was cheering so much Elena could barely hear herself think. Elena could barely see the captains, Wood from the Gryffindor team, and Flint from Slytherin, shake hands. Suddenly the entire stadium yelled loudly as all fourteen brooms rose into the air. Elena tried to find Harry, but they were all moving too fast for her to pinpoint exactly where he was. Elena decided to watch the crowd instead, but the blur of faces began to give her a headache. The cold air nipped at her ears and nose, and Elena shivered, wishing she had thought to get a jacket before she came outside. She had to admit though that the cold air was very refreshing in comparison to the stagnant air of the castle. Elena closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the cold air enter her lungs and clean out all the infecting sadness that was inside of her.

She opened her eyes and absentmindedly turned her eyes towards the nearby trees. She was about to turn back towards the game when something caught her eye. An animal of some kind was slinking across the grass near the trees. Elena squinted, a cold feeling settling into her stomach. It couldn't be the Grim- not here at the match-

Elena squinted harder and sighed with relief as she recognized the bottlebrush tail of Hermione's cat, Crookshanks. Or was it? Crookshanks had come to an abrupt halt, and just then it emerged- a gigantic, shaggy black dog. Elena gasped and turned hurriedly to Will.

"Will!" She said, her eyes wide with fear.

Will looked at her, his eyes also wide with concern.

"Will, look!" Elena turned to point, but at just that moment, Alicia Spinnet scored a penalty shot for Gryffidor and the stadium filled once again with screaming and people jumping up and down as Lee Jordan yelled into his microphone, "YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Lacey was also jumping up and down, ecstatic, her red hair blowing around her pink face in the cold wind. She finally sat down, beaming.

"There Will! Elena said, pointing."Right there!"

"I don't see anything." Will said.

Elena looked again, but now there was nothing but the dark, menacing tree line. She slumped in her seat, colder now than she had been before.

"What did you see?" Will asked.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter." Elena said, staring blankly at the quidditch field, lost in thought.

Sudden screaming, louder than anything else Elena had ever heard in her life, brought her back to the present. Everyone around her was standing on their seats, screaming and cheering and chanting "GRYFINNDOR!" Lacey Brown turned to Elena, her face glowing.

"We've won! We've won the Cup!"

Harry had a euphoric smile on his face for an entire week, and every time Elena tried to ask him for help on any kind of homework, what she got in response was

"Oh yeah, erm.. Jupiter in your Zodiac is a sign that you'll die a gruesome death... We won the Cup!"

Elena stayed in her room for the next two weeks, studying for her exams. On the day of her Divinations exam, Elena was sitting on the marble spiral staircase with the rest of the class when she saw Harry and Ron coming up the steps together, their heads bent together. She faintly overheard the name Buckbeak, and she sagged a little. Hermione had told her earlier that Hagrid had lost his case, and that the executioner was going to be at the appeal. Elena knew that that could only mean one thing. They were going to kill Buckbeak regardless, and it was all thanks to Lucius Malfoy. Elena hadn't talked to Draco in several days, and he hadn't attempted to talk to her either, which meant that he knew as well.

"Elena, what's going on?" Ron asked, sitting next to her.

Harry placed his bag on the step below Elena's feet and sat on the stone step on her other side.

"She's seeing us all separately." Elena said. She looked down at the open copy of UNFOGGING THE FUTURE in the section devoted to crystal gazing. "Have either of you ever seen anything in the ball?"

Both boys shook their heads. Elena slammed the book huffily and tossed it into her bag.

Finally, as the students dwindled, Ron was called. After about twenty minutes, Ron's large feet appeared on the ladder that lead to Professor Trelawney's room.

"How was it?" Elena asked as he climbed down.

"Rubbish," Ron said. "I just made a load of stuff up until she let me leave."

"I'll meet you in to common room." Harry said as they heard Professor Trelawney clear her voice.

"Elena and Harry Potter."

Elena looked at Harry, shocked.

"Both of us? Together?" She whispered.

Harry shrugged.

"I guess so. Let's get it over with."

Elena began climbing the ladder, and Harry followed her up. The tower was hotter than usual, the curtains were closed, and the fire was alight. The usual sickly scent made Elena cough as she and Harry made their way through the clutter of desks and tables to sit across from Professor Trelawney. In the middle of the table was a large crystal sphere.

"Hello, my dears," Professor Trelawney said softly. "If you would kindly look into the Orb... Take your time now... then tell me what you see within."

Elena glared at the ball, then glanced at Harry, who looked just as frustrated as her.

"A butterfly." Elena said finally, saying the first thing that popped into her mind.

"Oh yes?" Professor Trelawney said, leaning forward. "And what is the butterfly doing?"

"It's sitting on a flower. A white rose." Elena said. "But... There's a dark shadow behind it. The shadow is moving."

Harry peeking at her from the corner of his eyes and Elena met them with a look that clearly said "I'm totally bullshitting."

"What form is the shadow taking?" Professor Trelawney asked, her large, bug eyes going even wider.

"It's... It's a..." Elena racked her brain for something, anything. "It's a dragon." She said finally. "It has large teeth, and it just ate the butterfly."

Professor Trelawney gasped in horror and leaned so far forward Elena though she might topple out of her chair.

"The flower, my dear! What has happened to the flower?"

Elena internally rolled her eyes.

"The flower is dead. It's covered in blood."

"Oh, yes... That in which you have seen is destined to happen." Professor Trelawney said wisely. "You may go."

Elena sighed and stood up. She patted Harry's shoulders and headed towards the hatchway the led out of Trelawney's room. She waited at the top of the hatch for Harry to finish up. She could barely hear him talking about a hippogriff flying away, Professor Trelawney's disappointed voice, and then he was walking towards her, rolling his eyes. He was almost to Elena when a bony hand clamped down on his shoulder. Elena gave a small surprised shriek and stumbled backwards, tripping over a chair leg and sending it skidding across the floor. The hand spun Harry around. It was Professor Trelawney, looking like she was about to have some sort of seizure.

"IT WILL HAPPEN TONIGHT!" She said harshly in a voice unlike her own.

"S-sorry?" Harry said, trying to pry her hand off of his shoulder.

She didn't seem to hear him, and have any sign of recognition that Harry and Elena were there.

"THE DARK LORD LIES ALONE AND FRIENDLESS, ABANDONED BY HIS FOLLOWERS. HIS SERVANT HAS BEEN CHAINED THESE TWELVE YEARS. TONIGHT, BEFORE MIDNIGHT... THE SERVANT WILL BREAK FREE AND SET OUT TO REJOIN HIS MASTER. THE DARK LORD WILL RISE AGAIN WITH HIS SERVANT'S AID, GREATER AND MORE TERRIBLE THAN EVER BEFORE. TONIGHT... BEFORE MIDNIGHT... THE SERVANT... WILL SET OUT...TO REJOIN... HIS MASTER..."

Elena squeaked as Professor Trelawney's eyes rolled up in her head and she slumped into a chair.

"Was... Was that a real prediction?" Harry asked, rubbing his shoulder as he turned towards her.

Elena shook her head, unable to speak.

"I don't know! Let's get out of here!" She said starting to climb down the hatch.

Harry nodded and followed quickly. When they had both reached the bottom of the ladder, they dusted themselves off and started walking down the marble staircase, not saying a word to each other for they were both lost in their own thoughts. They were both so absorbed, in fact, that they didn't notice Ron and Hermione running towards them until they stood before them, panting.

"What? What is it?" Elena asking, looking at their sunken, sad faces. Hermione had obviously been crying.

"Buckbeak's lost," Ron said. "Hagrid's just sent this."

Hagrid's note was dry, but his hand seemed to have shaken so bad the the writing was barely legible.

"Lost appeal. They're going to execute at sunset. Nothing you can do. Don't come down. I don't want you to see it.

Hagrid"

"I told you lot not to come." Hagrid grumbled, shuffling out of the way so that Ron, Elena, Harry, and Hermione could squeeze in through his front door.

After reading Hagrid's message, they'd instantly agreed that going to his house was a must. Hermione had run to the hunched, one eyed lady statue, retrieved the invisibility cloak, and they'd been out of the castle and in front of Hagrid's hut in barely twenty minutes.

Hagrid was not crying, nor did her throw himself upon their necks. He looked like a man who did not know where he was or what to do. The utter helplessness was worse to see than tears.

"Wan' some tea?" He asked, his great hands were shaking as he reached for the kettle.

"Where's Buckbeak, Hagrid?" Hermione asked instantly.

"I-I took him outside," Hagrid said, spilling milk all over the table as he filled up the jug. "He's tethered in me pumpkin patch. I thought he outta see the trees an'-an' smell the fresh air- before-"

Hagrid's hand shuddered so violently that he dropped the milk jug and it shattered all over the floor.

"I'll do it, Hagrid," Elena said quickly, hurrying over and starting to pick up the mess.

"There's another one in the cupboard," Hagrid said, sitting down and wiping his forehead on his sleeve. He swallowed hard, His eyes were darting all over the cabin, as though looking for some shred of hope or comfort.

"Dumbledore's gonna come down while it- while it happens. Wrote me this mornin'. Says he wants ter- ter be with me. Great man, Dumbledore..."

Hermione, who had been helping Elena with the tea, let out a quickly stifled sob. Elena straightened up, a new jug of milk in her hands.

"We'll stay with you too, Hagrid." Elena began, but Hagrid shook his shaggy head.

"Yeh're ter go back up ter the castle. I told yeh, I don' wan' yeh watchin'. An' yeh shouldn' be down here ayway... If Fudge an' Dumbledore catch yeh two out without permission-" He looked from Harry to Elena- "Yeh'll be in big trouble."

Elena picked up the milk bottle to pour some into the jug, but before she could, she let out a little shriek.

"Ron! I- I don't believe it! It's Scabbers!"

Ron gaped at her.

"What are you talking about?"

Elena carried the milk jug over to the table and turned it upside down. With a frantic squeak, and much scrambling to get back inside, Scabbers came sliding out onto the table.

"Scabbers!" Ron said blankly. "Scabbers, what are you doing here?"

He grabbed Scabbers, who looked thinner than ever before, and large tufts of hair had fallen out. He held the struggling rat close to his chest.

Hagrid suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed on the window. His face had gone the color of parchment.

"They're comin'."

The group of friends whipped around. A group of men was walking down the distant castle steps. In front was Albus Dumbledore, next to him was Cornelius Fudge, and behind them came the feeble old committee member ad the executioner, whom Ron had told Elena was named Macnair.

"Yeh've got to go," said Hagrid, every inch of him trembling. "They mustn't fid you here... go now..."

Ron stuffed Scabbers into his pocket and Elena picked up the cloak.

"I'll let you out the back way," said Hagrid.

The friends followed him to the door into his back garden.

"Go on," Hagrid said. "Get going!"

They didn't move.

"Hagrid, we can't-"

"We'll tell them what really happened-"

"They can't kill him-"

"We should stay-"

Go!" said Hagrid fiercely. "It's bad enough with out you lot gettin' in trouble an' all!"

They had no choice, and as Elena threw the cloak over the other three, they heard voices at the front of the cabin. Hagrid looked at the place where they had just vanished.

"Go quick," he said hoarsely. "Don't listen..."

And he strode back into his cabin as someone knocked on the front door.

Slowly, in a kind of horrified trance, Elena, Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off silently around Hagrid's house. They started up the sloping lawn towards the castle. Ron stopped dead.

"Oh, please, Ron!" Hermione began.

"It's Scabbers! He won't stay put!" Ron was bent over, trying to keep the rat in his pocket, but it was going berserk; squealing madly, twisting and flailing, trying to sink his teeth into Ron's hand.

"Scabbers, it's me you idiot! It's Ron!"

They group heard a door ope behind them, and then men's voices.

"Oh Ron please let's move! They're going to do it!" Elena breathed.

They walked forward, trying not to listen to the voices coming from below them. Ron stopped again.

"I can't hold him-Scabbers shut up! Everyone'll hear us!"

The rat was squealing wildly, but not loud enough to cover up the sounds drifting up from Hagrid's garden. There was a jumble of indistinct male voices, a silence, and then, without warning, the unmistakable swish and thud of an axe.

Hermione swayed o the spot, and Elena put a hand on her arm to steady her.

"They did it," She whispered to nobody in particular. "I d-don't believe it- they did it!"


	44. Chapter 44

Elena's mind had gone blank with shock. The four of them stood transfixed with horror under the Invisibility cloak. Hermione's breath was shallow and uneven.

"How-could-they?" she choked. "How could they?"

"Come on," Ron said through seemingly chattering teeth.

The group set off back toward the castle, walking slowly to keep themselves hidden under the cloak. The evening light was going away quickly, and by the time they'd reached open ground, darkness was settling around them.

"Scabbers, keep still," Ron hissed to his rat, clamping his hand over his chest. The rat was wriggling madly. Ron came to a sudden halt, trying to force Scabbers deeper into his pocket. 'What's the matter with you, you stupid rat? Stay still-OUCH! He bit me!'

"Ron, shh! Be quiet!" Hermione whispered urgently. "Fudge'll be out in a minute-"

"He won't-stay-put-"

Scabbers was plainly terrified. He was writhing with all his might, trying to break free of Ron's grip.

"What's the matter with him?"

But Elena had just seen-slinking towards the four of them, his body low to the ground, wide yellow eyes glinting in the darkness-Crookshanks.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione moaned. "No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!"

But the ugly cat was getting nearer-

"Scabbers-NO!"

Too late- the rat had slipped between Ron's fingers, hit the ground, and scampered away. In one bound, Crookshanks sprang after him, and before Harry, Hermione, or Elena could stop him, Ron had thrown the invisibility cloak off of himself and sprinted away into the darkness.

"Ron!" Elena moaned.

The remaining three looked at each other, then followed as quickly as they could, pulling the cloak off of themselves as they ran and letting it stream behind like a banner as they hurdled after Ron.

"Get away from him-get away- Scabbers come here-"

There was a loud thud from in front of them.

"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat-"

Harry, Hermione, and Elena almost fell over Ron, but they skidded to a halt right in front of him. He was sprawled across the ground, but Scabbers was back in his pocket; he had both his hands clamped over the quivering lump.

"Ron-come on- back under the cloak-" Elena panted. "Dumbledore- the Minister- they'll be coming out in a minute-"

But before they could cover themselves again, before they could even catch their breaths, they heard the soft pounding of gigantic paws... Something was bounding towards them out of the dark- an enormous, pale-eyed, jet-black dog.

Elena gasped and reached for her wand, which lay hidden in her arm sheath, but too late- the dog had made an enormous leap and the front paws hit her square in the chest; she fell backwards in a whirl of hair; she felt it's hot breath, saw inch long teeth-

But the force of the leap had carried it too far; it rolled off her and Elena was on her feet in an instant; her wand out and pointing at the dog that had skidded around and was about to pounce in it's next attack.

"STUP-" Elena started, but the dog had sprung, pushing past Elena and fastening it's jaws instead onto Ron's outstretched arm. Elena and Harry both lunged forward, seizing handfuls of the dog's hair, but it was dragging Ron away as easily as though he were a rag doll-

Then out of nowhere something hit both Elena and Harry so hard across the face that they were knocked off their feet again. Elena heard Hermione shriek with pain and fall too.

Elena groped for her fallen wand while at the same time trying to wipe blood from her eyes and mouth.

"lumos!" She whispered.

The wandlight showed her the trunk of a thick tree; they had chased Scabbers into the shadow of the Whomping Willow and its branches were creaking as though in a high wind, whipping backward and forwards to keep the three from getting any nearer.

And there, at the base of the trunk, was the dog, dragging Ron backward into a large gap in the roots-Ron was fighting furiously, but his heads and torso were slipping out of sight.

"Ron!" Elena shouted, trying to follow, but a heavy branch whipped lethally through the air and she was forced backwards again.

All they could see now was one of Ron's legs, which he had hooked around a root in an effort to stop the dog from pulling him any further into the dark underground, but in an earsplitting crack the cut the air like a gunshot; Ron's leg had broken, and in a moment, his foot had vanished from sight.

"We've got to go for help!" Hermione gasped, also bleeding; the Willow had cut her across the shoulder.

"No! That thing's big enough to eat him; we haven't got time!" Harry yelled.

"We're never getting through there without help-" Elena reasoned.

Another branched whipped down at them, twigs clenched like a fist fighters knuckles.

"If the dog can get in, we can," Harry panted, and he darted back and forth, trying to find a way through the vicious, swishing branches, but he couldn't get even an inch closer to the trunk without being in range of the trees blows.

"Oh, help, help," Hermione whispered frantically, dancing uncertainly on the spot, and Elena tried to think of a reassuring thing to say.

Suddenly, Crookshanks darted forward, slithering between the whipping branches like a snake and placed his front paws upon a knot in the trunk. Abruptly, as if the tree had turned to marble, it stopped moving. Not a leaf or twig shook or twitched.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione whispered uncertainly. She grasped Elena's arm painfully. "How did he know-?"

"He's friends with that dog," said Elena grimly, and Harry nodded. "I've seen them together. Come on- everyone keep your wants out-"

The covered the distance to the trunk in seconds, and Harry slithered through the hole, then Hermione, and finally Elena. She went through head first, and slid down an earthy slope to the bottom of a very low tunnel. Harry and Hermione were already on their feet.

"Where's Ron?" Elena asked, in a falsely confident voice.

"This way," said Harry, setting off, bent-backed.

They moved as fast as they could, bent almost double; ahead of them, they could see Crookshank's tail bobbing in and out of view. The passage seemed almost as long as the one to Honeydukes... All Elena could think of was the dog and Ron; the snap of Ron's leg as he was pulled out of view... She was drawing in breaths in sharp, painful gasps, running at a crouch.

And then the tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted, and Elena could see light through a small opening. The three of them paused, gasping for breath as the slowly edged forwards.

It was a room, a very disordered, dusty room. Paper was peeling from the walls; there were stains all over the floor; every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it. The windows were all boarded up.

"Harry," Elena whispered, edging up closer to him. "I think we're in the Shrieking Shack."

Harry nodded and took several steps forwards, Elena and Hermione close behind him. At that moment there was a creak overhead. All three of them looked up at the ceiling. As quietly as they could, they crept out into the hall and up the crumbling staircase. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust except the floor, where a wide shiny stripe had been made by something being dragged up the stairs. They reached a dark landing.

"Harry," Elena whispered, and he looked at her. "Do you see those two doors?"

Elena pointed at two doors that were side by side. One was hanging slightly open, the other was completely shut.

Harry nodded.

"I'm going to go in that one," Elena whispered, pointing at the closed one. "And I'm going to see if theres a door that leads to that room." Elena pointed again towards the door that was hanging open. "We'll be able to circle around the dog and corner it that way."

Harry nodded again and he and Hermione crept silently up to the open door while Elena positioned herself in front of the closed one.

"One," Harry mouthed, looking at her. "Two... Three." Harry kicked the ajar door wide open loudly, and at the same time, Elena put her hand on the doorknob and twisted quickly, slipping into the room and shutting the door behind her.

She let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. Holding her wand firmly, before her, she walked quietly forward, looking about the room that surrounded her. It was just as dusty as the rest of the house; the paint peeled off the wall in long ribbons, however, upon closer examination, the walls themselves had deep grooves in them, as though something with very sharp claws had scraped its nails down the wall, ripping through the wood.

Elena took another deep breath and let it out slowly. She scanned the room once more. There wasn't a door in sight. She felt as though she could hit something in frustration. She whipped around, about to head out of the room when a glimpse of something shiny caught her eye. She turned back around slowly, trying to spy what she'd seen.

There, about an inch above where the wall met the floor, was a small metal grate, about three feet wide and a foot tall. Elena bent down and dusted it off, then peered through the small little holes. She couldn't see anything. Cursing silently, she used her fingernails and wand tip t6o pry at the edges of the grate. To her surprise, it popped off almost instantly, and Elena caught it quickly before it could clatter to the floor. She set it aside carefully, and, doing her best to be as silent as possible, stuck her head through the opening.

Her head came out in a very dark room, but as Elena tilted her head to look around, she could see that she was actually underneath a very large bed. From her hiding spot, she could see three pairs of feet.

"-thought you'd come to help your friend," A strange voice croaked.

"Who in the hell-?" Elena thought, struggling to silently pull the rest of herself through the hole.

"Your father would have done the same for me, brave of you not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful...it will make everything much easier."

"You're wrong," Harry said defiantly. "My sister's gone to get a teacher now." He swallowed nervously at his bluff.

Hate erupted in Elena's chest as the taunt about her father rang in her ears.

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too," Elena heard another voice speak up. It sounded like Ron. She saw another pair of feet stand up with unsteady defiance before stumbling away. Elena could only assume the sound of a thud was Ron collapsing again.

The voice chuckled darkly, and Elena shivered involuntarily at the sound. "There will be only one murder done tonight."

"Why's that?" Harry spat. "Didn't care last time did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those muggles to get to Pettigrew... What's the matter? Gone soft in Azkaban?"

"Oh my god! It's Black!" Elena thought, shock making her jaw drop.

"Harry!" Elena heard Hermione whisper. "Be quiet!"

"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry roared, and Elena saw his feet lunge towards the man.

Suddenly Hermione was screaming, Ron was yelling, there was a blinding flash, and Harry and Black were rolling around on the ground a mere five feet away from where Elena lay hidden. Elena could see Black's fingers tightening around Harry's throat, but then Hermione's foot came out of nowhere and kicked Black hard in the ribs. Black let go of Harry with a grunt of pain; Ron had thrown himself on Black's wand hand and Elena heard a faint clatter-

Harry's wand came rolling towards Elena under the bed. Elena snatched it up and waited until Harry was out of Black's grasp, struggling to get to his feet. She rolled the wand towards Harry, where it bumped against his fingers. She saw his hand grasp it, and then he shouted,

"Get out of the way!"

Hermione jumped up, grabbing her and Ron's wands from the floor. Elena saw Ron's struggle to a standing position, and then he sat down heavily on the bed, his legs obscuring her view. Elena could see Black sprawled against the wall nearest her.

"Going to kill me, Harry?" he whispered.

Elena saw Harry's feet move to stand right above Black's figure.

"You killed my parents," said Harry, his voice shaking slightly.

"I don't deny it," Black said very quietly. "But if you knew the whole story-"

"The whole story?" Harry repeated furiously. "You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know."

"You've got to listen to me," Black said, and there seemed to be a note of urgency in his voice now. "You'll regret it if you don't... You don't understand..."

"I understand a lot better than you think," Elena heard Harry say with a shaky voice. "You never heard her, did you? My mum... trying to stop Voldemort killing us...and you did that... you did it..."

For a few moments everything went very silent, and Elena could hear the blood pounding in her ears. And then came a new sound; muffled footsteps were echoing up through the floor-someone was moving downstairs.

"WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione screamed suddenly, making Elena jump. "WE'RE UP HERE-SIRIUS BLACK-QUICK!"

The door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks and Elena saw another pair of feet appear.

"Expelliarmus!" The newcomer shouted.

"Lupin!" Elena thought excitedly.

"Where is he, Sirius?" Lupin's voice said with a tone of suppressed emotion.

Elena went rigid. She didn't understand what Lupin meant. Who was Lupin talking about? She looked at Black. His face was expressionless, and for a few seconds, he didn't move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised an empty hand and pointed upwards to where Ron was sitting above Elena.

"But then...," Lupin muttered. "...why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless"- Lupin stopped. "unless he was the one... unless you switched... without telling me?"

Very slowly, Black nodded his head.

"Professor," Harry interrupted loudly, "what's going on-?"

Elena was wondering the same thing, but her mind suddenly stopped working as she saw Professor Lupin's walk to Black's side, seize his hand, and pull him to his feet. They stood so close to each other that Elena could only assume they were embracing. Elena felt as though her insides had turned to solid ice.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screamed.

Lupin let go of Black and Elena saw his feet turn to Hermione.

"You-you-"

"Hermione-"

"-you and him!"

"Hermione calm down-"

"I didn't tell anyone!" hermione shrieked. "I've been covering up for you-"

"Hermione listen to me, please!" Lupin shouted. "I can explain-"

Elena could feel herself shaking with a fresh roll of fury that was directed at Lupin.

"I trusted you!" Harry shouted at Lupin, his voice wavering out of control. "And all this time you've been his friend!"

'You're wrong," said Lupin. "I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now- Let me explain..."

"NO!" Hermione screamed. Elena had never heard her this angry before, even when she was fighting with Ron. "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too- he's a werewolf!"

There was a ringing silence. Elena's jaw dropped once again. Slowly, she wriggled towards the far end of the bed and squeezed closer to the wall. Things were about to turn even worse, and she wanted to make sure that she was ready to jump up and help as soon as Harry needed it.

"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione," Lupin replied darkly. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead..." He paused. "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."

Ron tried to stand again but fell back with a whimper of pain. Elena saw Lupin take a step towards him, but Ron hissed,

"Get away from me, werewolf!"

Lupin stopped dead. Then, with obvious effort, he turned towards Hermione again.

"How long have you known?"

"Ages," Hermione whispered. "Since I did Professor Snape's essay..."

"He'll be delighted," said Lupin coolly. "He assigned that essay hoping someone would realize what my symptoms meant.. Did you check the lunar chart and realize that I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realize that the boggart turned into the moon when it saw me?"

"Both," Hermione said quietly.

Lupin forced a laugh.

"You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione."

"I'm not," Hermione whispered. "If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!"

"But they already know," said Lupin. "At least, the staff do."

"Dumbledore Hired you when he knew you were a werewolf?" Ron asked incredulously. "Is he mad?"

"Some of the staff thought so," said Lupin. "he had to work very hard to convince some of the staff that I'm trustworthy-"

"AND HE WAS WRONG!" Harry yelled, causing Elena to jump and stifle a squeak of surprise. "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THIS TIME!"

Black suddenly stood up and sat on the bed, and Elena could see his feet hanging limply. Ron edged away from him, dragging his leg and blocking some of Elena's view once again.

"I have not been helping Sirius," said Lupin. "If you'll give me a chance to explain. Look-" He paused for a moment. "There. You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?"

Elena sighed silently in confusion. Had he just given them their wands back? But didn't Black want to kill Harry and herself? She didn't know what to think. Was this a trick?

"If you haven't been helping him," Harry said. "how did you know he was here?"

"The map," said Lupin. "The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it-"

"You know how to work it?"

"Of course I know how to work it. I helped write it. I'm Moony- that was my friends' nickname for me at school."

"He wrote it?" Elena thought, aghast.

"The important thing is," Lupin continued, "I was watching it carefully this evening because I had an idea that you, Elena, Ron, and Hermione might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his hippogriff was executed, and I was right, wasn't I?"

Elena could see him pacing back and forth.

"You might have been wearing your fathers old cloak, Harry-" He paused. "I know because of the number of times I saw James disappearing under it. The point is, even if you're wearing an invisibility cloak, you still show up on the Marauder's Map. I watched you all cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid, and set off back towards the castle. But you were now accompanied by somebody else."

"What?" said Harry. "No we weren't!"

"I couldn't believe my eyes," said Lupin, still pacing. "I thought the map must have been malfunctioning. How could he be with you?"

"No one was with us!" Harry shouted.

"Except," Elena thought. "that Ron had Scabbers." But that couldn't mean anything, could it?

"And then I saw another dot, moving fast towards you, labeled Sirius Black... I saw him collide with you; I watched as he pulled two of you into thw Whomping Willow.

"One of us!" Ron said angrily.

"No, Ron," said Lupin. "Two of you."

He stopped pacing and walked towards Ron.

"Do you think I could have a look at that rat?" he said evenly.

"What?" asked Ron. "What's Scabbers got to do with it?"

"Everything," said Lupin. "Could I see him please?"

Elena heard the rustling of cloth, and then Scabbers loud, frantic squeaking as Ron showed the rat to Lupin.

"What?" Ron asked again. "What's my rat got to do with anything?"

"That's not a rat," Black said suddenly.

"What are they talking about?" Elena wondering, inching even closer to the end of the bed, becoming even more suspicious. "Of course Scabbers is a rat. They have eyes!"

"What d'you mean- of course he's a rat-" Ron said, mimicking Elena's thoughts.

"No he's not," said Lupin quietly. "He's a wizard."

"An Animagus," said Black, "by the name of Peter Pettigrew."


	45. Chapter 45

It took a few seconds for the absurdity of the statement to sink in.

"They're mental!" Elena thought.

"Ridiculous!" Hermione said faintly.

"Peter Pettigrew's dead!" said Harry. "He killed him twelve years ago!"

Elena imagined that Harry was pointing at Sirius Black.

"I meant to," he growled, "but little Peter got away from me... not this time, though!"

Elena saw Crookshanks fall to the floor as Black lunged towards where Ron was sitting. Ron yelled out.

"Sirius, No!" Lupin was yelling.

Elena looked to her right quickly when she felt something brush her cheek. It was Crookshanks, rubbing himself against her head, purring loudly, or at least too loudly for Elena to feel safe. She inched forwards slowly on her stomach, and Crookshanks stayed with her, still purring. Elena hissed silently and jabbed Crookshanks in the stomach with her wand, earning a face full of cat spittle as Crookshanks spat at her and dashed out from under the bed.

Elena continued to inch forward, and she soon found herself at the foot end of the bed. She craned her head to the right, and saw, instead of a view of Harry and Hermione's backs like she'd expected, the legs of a bench and the foot pedals of what seemed to be a large piano. Elena pulled herself out from under the bed silently and sat back on her toes behind the piano, grimacing at the thick layer of dust that had accumulated on the front of her sweater and pants. She could only imagine that her face didn't look much better.

A shout from Ron brought Elena back to the present. She pressed her back against the piano and peered around the edge, trying to get a view on what was going on. She could clearly see Lupin, half of Black, and Harry's left arm. She sat back quickly. Her palms had gone sweaty and she wiped them on her jeans before grasping her wand tightly.

"But Professor Lupin," Hermione said in a trembling voice, " Scabbers can't be Pettigrew... it just can't be true, you know it can't..."

"Why can't it be true?" Lupin said calmly, as though they were in class, and Hermione had simply spotted a problem in an experiment with grindylows.

"Because... because people would know if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I looked the up when I did my homework- the Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there's a register showing what animal they become, and their markings and things... and I went and looked Professor McGonagall up in the register, and there have only been seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list-"

"Oh, Hermione, you perfect, wonderful, genius!" Elena thought, certain that this was proof that Lupin and Black were lying. Elena had barely finished this thought however, when Lupin started laughing.

"Right again, Hermione!" he said. "But the Ministry never knew that there used to be three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts."

"If you're going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus," snarled Black. "I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer."

"All right... but you'll need to help me, Sirius," said Lupin, "I only knew how it began..."

Lupin broke off. There had been a loud creak behind him. Elena risked a peek around the piano and saw that the bedroom door had opened of its own accord. Lupin strode toward it and looked out onto the landing.

"No one there..."

Elena put her back to the piano again. Adrenaline was pulsing through her and her nerves made her feel like she needed to pee. She wiped her sweaty forehead with the back of her arm, then pushed her bangs out of her eyes with her grimy fingers.

"This place is haunted!" Ron said loudly.

"It's not," said Lupin. "The Shrieking Shack was never haunted... The screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me. That's where this all starts- with my becoming a werewolf. None of this could have happened if I hadn't been bitten... and if I hadn't been so foolhardy.

"I was a very small boy when I received the bite. My parents tried everything, but in those days there was no cure. The potion that Professor Snape has been making for me is a very recent discovery. It6 makes me safe, you see. As long as I take it in the week preceding the full moon, I keep my mind when I transform... I am able to curl up in my office, a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane again.

"Before the Wolfsbane Potion was discovered, however, I became a monster once a month. It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts because other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me. But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic, saying that as long as we took certain precautions there was no reason I shouldn't come to school..." Lupin sighed heavily.

"I told you and Elena months ago that the Whomping Willow was planted the year I am to Hogwarts, but the truth is that it was planted because I came to Hogwarts. This house and the tunnel that leads to it were built for my use. Once a month I was smuggled out of the castle and into this place to transform. The tree was placed to keep anyone coming across me while I was dangerous.

Elena had no idea where this story was going, but she was listening raptly all the same. She leaned her head back to rest against the dusty piano and closed her eyes.

"I was separated from humans, so I bit and scratched myself instead. Dumbeldore encouraged the rumor of violent spirits living here. But apart from my transformations, I had three great friends. Sirius Black... Peter Pettigrew... and of course, your father, Harry- James Potter. They of course noticed that I disappeared once a month, and despite what I told them, they worked out the truth, butt hey didn't desert me. Instead, they became Animagi. In our fifth year they managed it. The could turn into different animals at will.

"They couldn't keep me company as humans, so they did so as animals, as a werewolf is only a danger to humans. Under their influence, I became less dangerous. I sometimes felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore's trust. He never knew I had led three students to become illegal Animagi." Lupin's voice turned to one of self-disgust.

"all this year, I have been battling with myself, wondering whether I should tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But I was too cowardly. I convinced myself that Sirius had been getting into the school using dark arts he'd learned from Voldemort, and that being an Animagus had nothing to do with it... so in a way, Snape's been right about me the whole time."

"Snape?" said Black so harshly that Elena flinched and opened her eyes. "What's Snape got anything to do with it?"

But Elena had stopped listening. Cold dread was replacing her blood because when she'd opened her eyes, she found two mean, dark eyes staring back into hers. Elena's breath caught in her throat, and she began to shake, her wand clattering against the floor, but she kept her grip on it.

The person staring at Elena grabbed her arm painfully and pulled her towards him, putting a finger to his lips staring at her harshly as if to say "Make one sound, and you'll wish you weren't born."

"So that's why Snape doesn't like you," Harry was saying slowly. "because he thought you were in on the joke?"

"That's right," sneered the cold voice of the man holding Elena. He stood up, throwing invisibility cloak off him and dragging Elena up with him. Elena struggled, but he might as well have been made of stone for all the use it was doing her. She stopped struggling when she saw that Snape had his wand out, and was pointing it directly at Lupin.


	46. Chapter 46

Hermione screamed. Black leapt to his feet. Harry took a step towards Elena and Snape, but Snape's wand was instantly trained on him. Harry stopped moving and the want was pointing at Lupin once again.

"I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow," Snape said, gesturing towards the discarded cloak with his head.

Elena tried to break free of his grasp once again. She managed for a moment and was able to take two steps forward before Snape grasped her wrist once again. Elena turned towards him, furious. Snape didn't even look at her.

Snapewas slightly breathless, but his face was full of suppressed triumph. "I've just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along. And very lucky I did... lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your desk was a certain map. One glance told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight."

"Severus-" Lupin began, but Snape overrode him.

"I've told the headmaster again and again that you're helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here's the proof. Not even I dreamed that you'd dare to use this old place as your hideout-"

"Severus, you're making a mistake," said Lupin urgently. "You haven't heard everything-I can explain- Sirius is not here to kill Harry-"

"Two more for Azkaban tonight," said Snape, his eyes now gleaming fanatically.

'You fool," said Lupin softly. "Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?"

BANG! Elena ducked, her left arm nearly being dislocated by it still being held up in the air by Snape. Thin, snakelike cords had burst from the end of Snape's wand and twisted themselves arounds Lupin's mouth, wrists, and ankles; he overbalanced and fell to the floor, unable to move. With a roar of rage, Black started towards Snape, but Snape pointed his wand straight between Black's eyes.

"Give me a reason," he whispered, his voice chilling Elena to the bone. "Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will."

Black stopped dead. It was impossible to tell which voice showed more hatred.

Elena stood there, paralyzed, but then she felt bony fingers intertwine with the fingers of her right hand, and before she knew it, she was being pulled slowly towards Black.

"Don't you dare touch her," Snape said, pulling Elena back towards himself so hard that she tripped over her own foot and went sprawling backwards to the floor.

Elena looked up at Snape fearfully. She picked herself up off the floor, wiping tears from her dirty face angrily as Snape grabbed hold of her sleeve. Hermione took an uncertain step toward Snape and said in a breathless voice, "Professor Snape- it- it wouldn't hurt to hear what they've got to say, w- would it?"

"Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school," Snape spat. "You, Weasley, and the Potters are out-of-bounds, in the company of a convicted murder and a werewolf. For once in your life, hold your tongue."

"But if- if there was a mistake-"

"KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!" Snape shouted, suddenly looking quite deranged. "DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" A few sparks shot out of the end of his wand, which was still pointed at Black's face. Hermione fell silent.

"Vengeance is very sweet," Snape breathed at Black. "How I hoped I would be the one to catch you..."

"The joke's on you again, Severus," Black snarled. "As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle"- he jerked his head at Ron- "I'll come quietly."

"Up to the castle?" said Snape silkily. "I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black... pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay..."

What little color was in Black's face left it.

"You- you've got to hear me out," he croaked. "The rat- look at the rat-!"

But there was a mad glint in Snape's eyes that Harry had never seen before . He seemed beyond reason.

"Come on, all of you," he said. He clicked his fingers, and the ends of the cords that bound Lupin flew to the same hand that was holding Elena's sleeve. "I'll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the dementors will have a kiss for him, too-"

Harry crossed the room in three strides and blocked the door.

"Get out of the way, Potter, you're in enough trouble already," snarled Snape. "If I hadn't been here to save your skin- ARGH!"

Elena had twisted herself close enough to sink her teeth into Snape's shoulder. Her teeth ripped through cloth and finally met skin. She hadn't thought she'd broken his skin, but when she pulled back , there was blood in her mouth.

Snape yelled something incomprehensible and pushed her back, his hand dropping her sleeve and the cords in order to press his fingers to the wound. Elena stumbled forwards into Black, who put his hands up to try and steady her, but instead they both once again fell to the floor. As the struggled to untangle themselves, Snape pulled his fingers away from the bite and stared at his bloody fingers.

"How dare you, you insolent girl-" Snape said, striding forward angrily, but Hermione jumped in front of him bravely, squeezing her eyes closed, expecting to be shoved to the floor as well. Snape halted.

"YOU'RE PATHETIC! Harry yelled from the door. "JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OUT OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN-"

"SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!" Snape shrieked, looking madder than ever. "Like father, like son, Potter! I have just saved all of your necks, you should be be thanking me on bended knee! You would have been well served if he'd killed you! You'd have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken in Black- now get out of the way or I will make you. GET OUT OFTHE WAY, POTTER!"

Elena made up her mind in a split second. She was standing now, her wand held tightly in her hand. Before Snape could even take one step towards Harry, she had raised it.

"Expelliarmus!" She yelled- except that her voice wasn't the only voice that shouted. there was a blast that made the door rattle on its hinges; Snape was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall, then slid down it to the floor, a trickle of blood oozing from under his hair. He had been knocked out.

Elena looked around. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had tried to disarm Snape at exactly the same moment. Snape's wand soared in a high arc and landed on the bed.

"You shouldn't have done that," said Black, looking at the children. "You should have left hi to me..."

Jessy avoided Black's eyes and took several large steps away from him to where Snape lay in a heap. She wasn't sure if she'd done the right thing.

"we attacked a teacher... we attacked a teacher..," Hermione whimpered, staring at the lifeless Snape with frightened eyes. "Oh, we're going to be in so much trouble-"

Lupin was struggling against his bonds. Black bent down and quickly untied him. Lupin stood up.

"Thank you," he said.

"We're not saying we believe you," Elena said, shedding her sweater as she bent down near Snape's head.

"How did you even get in here?" Black asked Elena, taking in her dirty face, ands, hair, and clothes.

"Theres a grate under the bed that leads to the next room," Elena said, ripping her sweater into strips to tie around Snape's wounded head. "I crawled through that and stayed under the bed, then hid behind the piano."

"Sirius, now's the time to give them proof," Lupin said. "You boy- give me Peter, please. Now."

Ron clutched Scabbers closer to his chest.

"Come off it," he said weakly. "Are you trying to tell me he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on Scabbers? I mean..." He looked at Harry, Hermione, and Elena for support, "Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat- there are millions of rats- how's he supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"

"You know, Sirius, that's a fair question," said Lupin. "How did you find out where he was?"

Sirius reached his bony hand into his pocket and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper. He straightened out and held it out to show the others. It was the photograph of Ron and his family that had appeared in the Daily Prophet the previous summer, and there, on Ron's shoulder, was Scabbers.

"When Fudge came to inspect Azkaban, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page... on this boy's shoulder... I knew him at once... how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts... to where Harry was..."

"My god," said Lupin staring softly. "His front paw..."

"What about it?" Ron asked defiantly.

"He's got a toe missing," said Black.

"Of course," Lupin breathed. "So simple... so brilliant... he cut it off himself?"

"Just before he transformed," said Black. "When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feeto of himself- and sped down into the sewer with the other rats.."

"Didn't you hear, Ron?" said Lupin. "The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger."

"Look, he probably got in a fight with another rat or something... He's been in my family for ages-"

"Ron, just listen for a second!" Elena said strictly from where she sat by Snape's form. She was now wrapping sweater bits around his shoulder where she'd bitten him.

"Twelve years, in fact," said Lupin. "Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?"

"We- we've been taking good care of him!" said Ron.

"Not looking too good at the moment though, is he? I'd guess he's been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again..."

"He's been scared of that mad cat!" Ron said, nodding towards Crookshanks.

"That's not right!" Elena said suddenly. "Scabbers looked sick even before he met Crookshanks!"

Ron looked at her as if she had just betrayed him.

"Well, why did Peter fake his death, then?" Harry asked furiously. "Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents-!"

"No," said Lupin, "Harry-"

"-and now you've come to finish him off!"

"Yes, I have," said Black, with an evil look at Scabbbers.

"Then we should have let Snape take you!" harry shouted loud enough to make Elena flinch.

"Harry- Elena-," said Lupin hurriedly, "don't you see? All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down- but it was the other way around, don't you see? Peter betrayed them- Sirius tracked Peter down-"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Harry yelled. "HE WAS THEIR SECRET-KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP. HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!"

"I as good as killed them," Black whispered. "I persuaded Lily and James to switch their Secret-Keeper at the last minute. I thought I was too predictable, but who'd suspect Peter? The night they died, I went to check on Peter to make sure he was safe, but when I went to his hiding place he was gone. There was no sign of a struggle... It didn't feel right, so I went to your parents' house right away, and when I saw the house destroyed, and their bodies... I realized what Peter must've done... what I'd done..." Black's voice broke.

"Enough of this," Lupin said with a steely voice. "There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat!"

"what'll you do with him if he does?" Elena asked suspiciously. She'd finished bandagig Snape and she stood up defensively.

"Force him to show himself," said Lupin, looking at her. "If he really is a rat, it won't hurt him."

Ron hesitated, then held Scabbers out for Lupin. Scabbers began to squeak without stopping, twisting and turning, his tiny black eyes bulging out of his head.

A flash of blue light burst from Lupin's wand; for a moment, Scabbers was frozen in midair. There was another blinding flash of light and then-

He was a very short man, hardly taller than Elena. He had thin, balding hair. He had a pointed nose and watery eyes, and he was breather fast and shallow. Elena took a step back in shock and disgust at the grubby man.

"Well, hello, Peter," Lupin said pleasantly. "Long time no see."

"S- Sirius... R-Remus..." The man said in a squeaky voice. "My friends... my old friends..."

"We've been having a chat..." Lupin said calmly.

"I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd come back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years! He killed Lily and James and now he's come back for me!" Pettigrew shrieked, pointing at Black.

"You haven't been hiding from me for twelve years!" Black said. "You've been hiding from Voldemort's supporters. That lots' not very happy with you right now are they? I heard a few things in Azkaban, Peter. They all think you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them. I've heard them scream things in their sleep. They think the double-crosser double-crossed them!"

"You don't believe this madness, do you, Remus?" Pettigrew begged.

"Why would an innocent man spend twelve years as a rat..." Elena whispered more to herself, but Pettigrew looked at her.

"Innocent but scared!" he squealed. "His supporters are after me because I put their best man in Azkaban!"

"How dare you!" Black said evenly.

Pettigrew muttered distractedly, but Elena noticed his face growing pale and his eyes darting to the door.

"Believe me," croaked Black. "Believe me Harry- Elena... I never betrayed Lily and James. I would have died before I betrayed them."

Elena, feeling drained, nodded. She believed him. Harry nodded as well.

"Forgive me, Remus," said Black.

"Not at all, Padfoot, old friend." said Lupin, who was now rolling up his sleeves.

Black grabbed Pettigrew's shoulders and threw him backwards onto the floor.

"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort," he said. "Do you deny it/"

Pettigrew burst into tears. It was horrible to watch.

"Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord...you have no idea... he has weapons you can't imagine... I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me-"

"DON'T LIE!" bellowed Black. "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"

"You don't understand! He would have killed me, Sirius!"

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Black. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

"You should have realized that if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would." said Lupin quietly. "Goodbye, Peter."

"NO!" Elena yelled, surprising herself. "No, no, no! Stop! Just stop!" She ran forward and placed herself in front of Pettigrew. "You can't kill him." she said. "You just... You can't... Don't lower yourself to his level."

Black and Lupin looked staggered.

"Elena, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents," Black snarled. "This cringing piece of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own skin meant more than your whole family!"

"I know," Elena panted. "But we can take him to the castle- to the dementors. He can go to Azkaban. Just... Just don't kill him."

"Elena!" gasped Pettigrew, flinging his arms around her knees. "You- thank you- it's more than I deserve- thank you-"

"Get off me!" Elena cried, flinging Pettigrew's hands off herself in disgust. "I don't care about you! I just don't want them to become killers over someone as worthless as you!"

No one moved or made a sound. Black and Lupin were looking at each other. In one movement, they brought their wands down.

"Very well," Lupin said. "Stand aside, Elena."

Elena hesitated.

"I'm going to tie him up. That's all, I swear." Lupin said, holding his hands up.

Elena stepped out of the way and thin cords shot from Lupin's wand this time, and the next moment Pettigrew was wriggling on the floor, bound and gagged.

"But if you transform, Peter," growled Black, "We will kill you. Do you agree, Elena?"

Elena nodded.

Lupin nodded briskly as well. "Ron, I can't mend bones nearly as well as Madame Pomfrey, so I'm jsut going to strap your leg up so that we can get you to the hospital wing. He hurried over to Ron, bent down, tapped Ron's leg with his wand, and muttered a spell. Bandages shot from his wand and strapped Ron's leg tightly to a splint.

"What about Professor Snape?" Hermione said in a small voice.

"There's nothing seriously wrong with him, and Elena got him bandaged well enough. It's probably best if we don't revive him until we're back to the castle. We can take him like this..."

He muttered "Mobilicorpus." As if invisible strings were tied to Snape's wrists, neck, and knees, he was pulled into a standing position, his head lolling grotesquely. He hung a few inches above the ground, his feet dangling. Lupin picked up the invisibility cloak and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Two of us should be chained to this," said Black, nudging Pettigrew with his toe. "Just to make sure."

"I'll do it," Lupin said.

"And me," Elena muttered, stepping forward.

Black conjured heavy manacles from thin air, and soon Pettigrew was standing upright, his left arm chained to Lupin's right, and and his right arm chained to Elena's left.

"Okay..." Elena muttered. "Let's go."


	47. Chapter 47

Getting back into the tunnel was difficult. Elena, Lupin, and Pettigrew had to turn sideways to manage it; Lupin still had his wand on Pettigrew, as if daring him to try anything. Afterwards came Black, who had Snape drifting along in front of him; he kept bumping his head on the low ceiling.

"You know what this means?" Black said abruptly to Harry and Elena as they made their slow progress along the tunnel. "Turning Pettigrew in?"

"You're free," said Elena.

"Yes...," said Black. "But I'm also- I don't know if anyone ever told you- I'm your godfather."

"Yeah, we knew that," said Harry.

"Well... your parents appointed me as your guardian," said Black stiffly. "If anything happened to them... I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle, but... well... think about it. Once my name's cleared... if you want a... a different home..."

"What- live with you?" Elena said, and Harry was so startled he accidentally cracked his head on a bit of rock protruding from the ceiling. "Leave the Dursleys?"

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," said Black quickly. "I understand, I just thought I'd-"

"Are you insane?" said Harry. "Of course we want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can we move in?"

Black stopped and Elena turned around as best she could to look at him and Harry.

"You want to?" he said. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, we mean it!" said Elena.

Black's gaunt face broke into the first true smile Elena had seen upon it. The difference it made was startling, as though a person ten years younger were shining through the starved mask.

No one spoke again until they had reached the end of the tunnel. Crookshanks darted up first; he had evidently pressed his paw to the knot on the trunk, because Lupin, Pettigrew, and Elena clambered upward without any sound of savage branches.

Black saw Snape up through the hole, then stood back for Harry and Hermione to pass. At last, all of them were out.

The grounds were very dark now; the only light came from the distant windows of the castle. Without a word, they set off. Elena's mind was blurring. She was going to leave the Dursleys! She was going to live with her brother and this man, Sirius Black, her parents' best friend... She felt dazed.

Silently they tramped through the grounds, the castle lights growing slowly larger. Snape was still drifting weirdly ahead of Black, his chin bumping on his chest. And then-

A cloud shifted. There were suddenly dim shadows on the ground and the party was blinded for a moment by pale moonlight. Snape collided with Lupin, Pettigrew, and Elena. Black froze. He flung an arm out to stop Harry and Hermione.

Elena looked over at Lupin. He had gone rigid, then his limbs began to shake.

"Professor-?" Elena began.

"Oh my-" Hermione gasped. "He didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!"

At Hermione's words, Elena, not taking her eyes off of Lupin, began to pull at the chains that connected her arm to Pettigrew's. She managed to get her hand out and was working on untangling her arm when there was a terrible snarling noise.

Lupin's head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws. As the werewolf reared, snapping it's long jaws, and enormous, bearlike dog bounded past her.

As the werewolf wrenched itself free of the manacle binding it, the dog seized it about the neck and pulled it backwards, away from Elena and Pettigrew. They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other.

Elena cried out as Pettigrew jumped forward, bringing her with him by the chains still tangled around her arm. He grabbed for Lupin's dropped wand. There was a large bang, and on teetered then fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled, and Lupin's wand flew high into the air and out of sight. "Stay where you are!"

Too late. Pettigrew had transformed. Elena saw his bald tail whip through the manacle on her outstretched arm and heard a scurry through the grass. There was a howl and a rumbling growl; Elena turned to see the werewolf taking flight; it was galloping into the forest-

"Sirius! He's gone, Pettigrew transformed!" Harry yelled.

Black was bleeding; there were gashes across his muzzle and back, but at Harry's words he scrambled up again, and in an instant, the sound of his paws faded to silence as he pounded away across the grounds.

Elena, Harry, and Hermione dashed over to where Ron was laying.

"What did he do to him?" Hermione whispered. Ron's eyes were only half closed, his mouth hung open; he was definitely alive, they could hear him breathing, but he didn't seem to recognize them. He was bleeding heavily from where his head had landed on a small rock.

"I don't know..."

Elena looked desperately around. Black and Lupin had both disappeared... they had no one but Snape, and he was still hanging in the air like a doll. She rolled Ron over gently and placed her hand over his wound and pressed, trying to staunch the blood flow. Blood pooled up between her fingers.

"We'd better get them up into the castle and tell someone," said Harry. "Come-"

But then, beyond the range of their vision, they heard growling, and then yelping and whining: a dog in pain.

Harry set off at a run, Hermione right behind him.

"Harry!" Elena yelled. "Hermione! Wait! Please..." She looked down at Ron. He was still bleeding; she couldn't leave him like this!

"Oh, god...," Elena moaned. Everything had been going so well! Pettigrew was caught; she and Harry were going to be leaving the Dursleys! Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes and she lifted a bloody hand to wipe them away, not caring that she was smearing warm blood across her face.

"What do I do? What am I supposed to do? I don't know what to do!" She whispered, looking down at herself. She'd used all of her sweater in binding up Snape. But maybe she had used too much on him? Her bit hadn't been that bad. He could spare a few.

She turned on her knees quickly to look up at the suspended Snape. She stood up and, after wiping her bloodied hands on her jeans, she reached up cautiously and began untying the bindings on Snape's shoulder. She had untied two and and was busy tying them around Ron's head when she heard a groan. Startled, she looked back at Snape.

"Ughnnghh..." Snape moaned. His fingers began to twitch and his head lolled back and forth.

Elena shot to a standing position quickly and took several steps backwards. Snape seemed to be coming back to his senses rather quickly. His feet landed on the ground and he stayed upright. He opened his eyes just in time to see Elena turn tail and run down the hill in the direction she had last seen Harry and Hermione go.

"Expelliarmus!" She heard Snape yell.

She dropped to the ground just as a red streak of light flew over her head. She crawled on her stomach quickly, desperately trying to get away from Snape and his wrath. She heard pounding footsteps behind her and she scrambled to her feet, running as fast as she could. She heard Snape yell something once more, and then a large force pushed her forward to the ground.

Elena rolled over quickly and saw Snape standing over her, breathing heavily. He said something Elena couldn't make out, and suddenly Elena felt incredibly tired. She tried to move but her whole body felt as if it were filled with sand. The last thing she saw before her eyes closed was Snape turning around and walking back up the hill.


	48. Chapter 48

Elena woke groggily to Madame Pomfrey's voice.

"Did I hear the headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?"

Elena could tell that she was in a sour mood. She looked around herself warily. The last thing she remembered was Snape standing over her... She turned her head slowly to look to her left. Ron was laying in a white bed, and he was fast asleep. His leg had been properly cast. She looked to her right to see Harry and Hermione nibbling at some chocolate silently.

"Ah, you've woken up. Good," Madame Pomfrey said, striding to the bed Elena was laying in. "Here, drink this." She said sternly, handing Elena a large goblet filled to the brim with frothing liquid.

"What is it?" Elena croaked, taking it from the bustling woman.

"Your concern is to drink, not to question." Madame Pomfrey said sternly.

Elena took the drink and took a sip. She grinned; it was only hot chocolate. She was about to take another sip when a roar from above them caused her to jump, spilling the warm drink all over the sheets.

"Augh!" She cried, jumping out of the bed quickly.

"What was that?" Madame Pomfrey said in alarm, looking at the ceiling.

Elena glanced at Hermione and Harry questioningly. They both shook their heads and Hermione put a finger to her lips, silently telling Elena to stay silent.

Now they could hear angry voices, growing louder and louder. They were all staring at the door.

"Really- they'll wake everybody up!what do they think they're doing?" Madame Pomfrey muttered, coming to Elena's side and handing her a robe. "Put this on while I change your sheets-"

Elena as trying to hear the voices; they were drawing nearer-

"He must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out-"

"HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!" Snape roared now very close. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS- HAS- SOMETHING- TO- DO-WITH-THE-POTTERS!"

"Severus, be reasonable, they've all been locked up-"

BAM.

The door of the hospital wing burst open.

Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore alone looked calm. In fact, he looked as though he were thoroughly enjoying himself. Fudge appeared angry. But Snape was beside himself. He was livid.

"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" Snape bellowed, striding to the bed where Harry lay. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"Professor Snape!" shrieked Madame Pomfrey. "Control yourself!"

"See here, Snape, be reasonable," said Fudge. "This doors been locked, we just saw-"

"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howled, now striding to where Elena was standing. His face was twisted in anger.

"Calm down, man!" Fudge barked. "You're talking nonsense!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW HARRY POTTER!" cried Snape. "HE DID IT! I KNOW HE DID IT-"

Snape stooped over to glare into Elena's eyes.

"WHAT-DID-YOU-DO?" He yelled into her face.

"That will do, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. "Think about what you're saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madame Pomfrey, have the kids left their beds?"

"Of course not- well except for Elena here but that's understandable-" Madame Pomfrey said, bristling.

"Well, there you have it, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "Unless you're suggesting that the kids are able to be in two places at once, I don't see a point in troubling them further."

Snape straightened and glared at Fudge and Dumbledore. Then he whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward.

"Fellow seems quite unbalanced," said Fudge, staring after him. "I'd watch out for him, if I were you, Dumbledore."

"Oh, he's not unbalanced, just severely disappointed." Dumbledore said mildly.

"He's not the only one!" puffed Fudge. "The Daily Prophet's going to have a field day! we had Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that hippogriff's escape to get out and I'll be a laughingstock! Well... I'd better go and notify the Ministry..."

"And the dementors?" said Dumbledore. "They'll be removed from the school, I trust?"

"Oh yes, they'll have to go," said Fudge, running his fingers distractedly through his hair. Never dreamed they'd try to administer the Kiss on an innocent boy... completely out of control... no, I'll have them shipped back to Azkaban tonight... perhaps we should think about dragons at the school's entrance..."

"Hagrid would like that," Dumbledore said, smiling at Harry, Hermione, and Elena. As he and Fudge left the ward, Madame Pomfrey hurried to the door and locked it again. Muttering angrily to herself, she headed back to her office.

Elena looked at Hermione and Harry.

"What did you do?" She mouthed.

"Later. Not now." Hermione mouthed back.

As Elena climbed back into the freshly made bed, there was a low moan from the other end of the ward. Ron had woken up. They could see him sitting up, rubbing his head, looking around.

"What-what happened?" he groaned. "Harry? Why are we in here? Where's Sirius? Where's Lupin? What's going on?"

Elena looked at them expectantly.

"You explain," said Harry to Hermione as he grabbed a chunk of chocolate off of tray next to his bed.

"Pettigrew owes his life to you, Elena. You have sent Voldemort a deputy who is in your debt... When one wizard saves another wizard's life, it creates a certain bond between them... and I'm much mistaken if Voldemort wants his servant in debt to a Potter."

Elena woke with a start. She was sitting next to Hermione on the Hogwarts Express. She had been dreaming of what Dumbledore had said to her in Lupin's office right after Lupin had quit...

"-it's the Quidditch World Cup next summer! How about it, Harry? You and Elena can come and stay, and we'll go see it! Dad can usually get tickets from work-" Ron was saying.

"I'll be right back," Elena said, standing up and stretching.

"Don't be long, we've only got about thirty minutes left." Hermione advised.

Elena yawned and nodded. She opened the sliding door and walked out. She was heading towards the restroom when a strong hand pulled her sideways into an empty compartment.

"Hey-" Elena started as she spun around, but she stopped when she saw who it was. "Draco! Hi."

"Hey, Elena." said Draco, stepping back. "I haven't really talked to you since, well- it doesn't matter. I just wanted to say bye."

He stepped back.

"Oh, okay," Elena said awkwardly. "Well, bye."

They stood there, avoiding each others eyes.

"Well, I'll see you in September, then." Elena said, she smiled and waved, then turned and walked out of the compartment, leaving Draco to watch her go.

"Well I really screwed that one up." Draco muttered to himself. He sat on the seat and looked out the window. It was going to be a long summer.


	49. Chapter 49

A/N This is the beginning of the hopefully very short fourth year.

"I don't know," Elena whispered to Ginny and Lacey. "He's not that bad looking. His nose is actually kind of charming-"

They were sitting at the Gryffindor table, looking over at the Slytherin table where the boys from Durmstrang were sitting. Viktor Krum was sitting, flocked, of course, by several girls. The students of Hogwarts had found out at the beginning of term that they were to be housing students from two other Wizarding schools: Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. The reason for this was that there was going to be a competition between the schools, a competition called the Tri-Wizard Tournament that hadn't happened for hundreds of years, due to the amount of fatalities involved. The Ministry of Magic had put several restrictions on it though, including one where you had to be seventeen years of age or older in order to enter.

"Oh, I don't think so... I think that one over there is much cuter." Lacey said, nodding her head towards a skinny boy with blonde hair and freckles so large Elena could count them from where she sat.

"You know who's cuter than all of these boys?" Ginny said.

Ginny had grown taller over the summer, and Elena had been there to watch. Elena and Harry had gone to stay at the Weasley's home for several weeks, and they had all, including Hermione, gone to see the Quidditch World Cup. Viktor Krum was the seeker for Bulgarian Quidditch team, and they had been facing the Irish team. The Irish won, but Viktor had caught the snitch.

Elena had gotten taller too, much to the joy of Molly Weasley. She fussed over Elena constantly, saying things like "Oh look at you, you're so tall!" and "Oh you've grown so much!"

It was true, though. Elena had grown almost four inches over the course of the summer, standing eye to eye with Molly and almost up to Ron's nose. Her breasts were filling out slightly as well. She looked more like a fifteen year old than a recently turned, awkward thirteen year old.

"Who?" Elena asked as she took a bite of cheese quiche.

"That Cedric Diggory." Ginny giggled and turned to look at the Hufflepuff table.

Elena and Lacey turned to look as well. Elena remembered just a few weeks prior when she'd met him. He'd jumped out of a tree almost on top of her. He was rather handsome, with his dark eyes and sparkling brown eyes.

"He is-" Elena was saying, but something stopped her. A boy sitting near to Krum had caught her eye.

The boy was staring right at her. His hair was pitch black, and hung around his face and down his back in a gleaming sheet. He kept her eyes as he leaned forward and whispered into Krum's ear. Krum turned slowly and looked at Elena as well. She waved quickly, awkwardly, and The two boys turned around once more.

"Who's that?" Hermione asked. She was sitting on Elena's right.

"I have no idea." Elena muttered.

Eventually the plates were emptied, and the dishes sank back down into the tables. Elena stood up and stretched. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around.

"Hey, Elena, we have a few hours before lights out. Do you want to go to the pond for a while?" It was Draco Malfoy, one of Elena's best friends.

"Oh, yeah, of course, let me just go get my jacket." She said. "Just meet me by the front entrance."

Draco nodded and headed out towards the great hall, and Elena turned towards her tower that was up behind the teachers' table. She was looking at her feet as she was climbing the small flight of stairs that led up to the teachers' table, so she didn't see the large figure standing at the top until she's bumped into him. She lost her balance and almost fell back down the steps, but a firm hand reached out and grabbed her arm.

Elena looked up, startled. It was Igor Karkaroff, the Headmaster of Durmstrang.

"What is your business coming up here?" He said, his face stony.

Elena looked at him, confused. It was the middle of October! Surely he'd seen her up here before, going to her tower! She did it almost every night after dinner.

"I- I was just- I needed a jacket-" Elena stammered. The man was intimidating, she'd never seen a normal human taller than him.

"Vhy not go to your common room?" He growled, but then he froze. "Vat is your name!" He demanded.

"Elena Potter." Elena said shakily. What was this man doing? "I don't have a common room- I stay in that tower-" she pointed at the wooden door that let to her room.

"Yeah, that's Elena Potter," said a growling voice from behind Karkaroff.

A large man with one leg and a stump for the other, and an eyepatch with a glass eye that swizzled around manically thumped up to stand beside Karkaroff. It was Mad-Eye Moody, the schools new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He was leaning heavily on his staff, his magical eye glaring unblinkingly at the Durmstrang headmaster.

The color drained from Karkaroff's face as Elena watched. A terrible look of combined fear and fury came over him.

"You!" he said, staring at Moody as though he was unsure he was really seeing him.

"Me," Moody confirmed. "and unless you've got anything else to say to Ms. Potter, you might want to move. You're blocking the stairway."

"There is another stairway." Karkaroff growled.

"I don't want to use the other stairway." Moody said.

Karkaroff released Elena's arm and without another word, swept passed Elena and down the stairs. Moody watched him go until he was out of sight, his magical eye fixed on his back, a look of intense dislike upon his mutilated face. Once Karkaroff was out of the dining hall, Moody turned to Elena.

"I would hurry to your tower if you know what's good for you." He muttered, then followed Karkaroff down the stairs and out.

Elena, thoroughly confused, ran into her tower and slammed the door behind her. She ran up the stairs to her bedroom and pulled on a large, comfortable jacket. She glanced around her room, once more and stopped when her eyes fell on a white bag sitting on her window seat. This year, for her birthday, the mysterious person, S.T.S, who had given her gifts every year since she started at Hogwarts, had outdone themselves. The first day of school, Elena had walked up the steps to her bedroom, her goal: getting to her bed before sleep overtook her.

But when she finally reached the top step, she had frozen. Hanging from the rafter that Nightshade usually slept on, was a large white bag, zipped up the side. Attached to the zipper was a card that read:

Dear Elena,

I'm sure you'll find good use of this. I thought the color matched your eyes beautifully.

Yours,

S.T.S

Inside the bag was the most beautiful dress Elena had ever seen. It was royal blue in color, and the whole thing shimmered as though it were embedded with minuscule diamonds. along the bust line and straps, it was seemingly made of sparkling stone.

Entranced, tiredness forgotten, Elena had tried it on. It hugged her body, but not too tightly, and flared out slightly at knees to the floor. It was mesmerizing to look at.

Elena looked at it now. Yes, the dress was amazingly beautiful, but where would she ever wear the thing? It was just a pretty, useless thing. Elena turned away and ran down the stairs, quickly. She was desperately late in meeting Draco.

When she arrived at the front door, she looked around quickly, but couldn't see Draco anywhere. Her shoulders slumped. Of course he'd have given up waiting for her. She sighed and turned around in defeat.

She let out a cry and jumped back quickly. standing before her was a very tall boy with very long black hair to his elbows, and a thin, sharp face. It was the boy from earlier who Elena had caught looking at her.

"Merlin, I didn't see you there!" She said, pressing a hand to her chest to calm herself.

From this close, Elena could see that his eyes were a dark brown, almost black.

"It is... Alright," said the boy in his thick, Bulgarian accent. "Vhat is your name?"

"Oh, I'm Elena. You?" Elena asked politely, but she felt awkward.

This boy was very attractive, and she felt somewhat intimidated and uncomfortable in his presence. She looked around him discreetly, trying not to seem rude.

"I am Dimitr Stefan. Who are you looking for...?" He asked, turning to look behind him.

"I'm sorry... I was looking for my friend, Draco. He was supposed to meet me here... We were going to go walking by the lake-" Elena stopped. "But I was late, he probably gave up and went to his common room."

"That is too bad." Dimitr said.

"Yeah. But it's okay, we'll do it some other time. I'll just go back to my room. It was nice meeting you-" Elena said, side stepping him to head back to the dining hall.

He stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Vait," said Dimitr. "If you like, I could go valking by the lake with you."

Elena stopped. On one hand, she didn't want to seem rude by telling him no, but on the other, she was worried. She didn't know this boy, and Hermione and Harry had always told her not to go off with people you don't know.

"But this is different," Elena thought. "The whole purpose of the Tri-Wizard tournament is to unify the wizarding community. Plus, I'm on school grounds. There's nowhere safer than Hogwarts."

Elena smiled at the tall boy.

"Sure, that'd be great," she said.

The boy smiled at her in return, then led the way out of the great hall into the cool breeze of the outdoors.

They were silent as they walked through the grass towards the lake. The sky was growing dark, and the lake looked black and shimmery.

"I fell into that late, once," Elena said, trying to start conversation.

"You did?" Dimitr asked, his voice alarmed.

"Yeah," Elena laughed a bit. "It was last year and I had detention, so Draco and I had to go out on the lake and gather some special algae. There were dementors guarding the entrances last year, and that's what Dumbledore thinks bothered him, but anyway the giant squid threw a fit and grabbed my canoe and dumped me in. I almost drowned."

They had reached the edge of the lake by then, and they sat down in the grass underneath a large evergreen.

"Who gave you the detention?" Dimitr asked, grabbing the ends of his long hair and checking in the dim light for split ends.

"His name is Professor Snape. I hate him." Elena muttered. "But that doesn't matter. How do you like Hogwarts?"

"it is... how do you say... very interesting." Dimitr said. "I am here only for the tournament, though Karkaroff does not believe anyone of us has a chance but Viktor."

Elena nodded thoughtfully.

"Are you going to enter anyway?"

"Yes, I vill, but we'll see. Are you going to enter?" Dimitr asked, dropping his hair and looking at Elena.

"what?" Elena laughed in startled surprise. "I can't!"

"Vhy not?"

"Well," Elena said. "I'm only thirteen , to start-"

"You are thirteen?" Dimitr said, his calm demeanor vanishing.

"Yeah..." Elena said Gloomily.

Dimitr laughed loudly.

"I cannot believe it! You do not look nor act so." He said. "My young sister is thirteen, and she is, how you call, a brat. You are nothing like that!"

Elena laughed with him.

"Well, I had to grow up pretty fast. Mrs. Weasley, my best friends mother, says I'm an old soul in a young body."

Dimitr smiled, then leaned forward slightly so his long hair brushed Elena's cheek. Elena felt a shiver go down her spine.

"Elena," he whispered. "You are not the average thirteen year old. you-"

Suddenly Dimtr's speech was interrupted by the sound of someone calling Elena's name close by.

"Elena! Elena, Where are you? Are you even out here?" It was Draco's voice, and he was getting closer.

Elena, coming back to her senses, leaned away quickly from Dimtr's close face.

"Draco!" She called, standing up and brushing dirt off of her bottom and knees. "Yes, I'm here with-" Elena turned to look at Dimitr, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Dimitr?"

Draco came around the large tree then and looked at Elena. "Who're you here with?" He asked, somewhat accusingly.

"I didn't see you in the great hall, and so a guy named Dimitr said he'd walk with me, but... He must have left." Elena said, looking around once more. "he was right here..."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I got caught up in a conversation with Viktor Krum." Draco said, seemingly proud of this fact.

"That's cool," Elena said. "it's too bad that it's too late to walk around the lake now. Tomorrow, maybe?"

"Okay, yeah, let's plan on that." Draco said, as the two of them began to head back up the hill towards the entrance to Hogwarts.


End file.
